A New Voice
by JFW1415
Summary: CURRENTLY BEING EDITED. This will not be updated until further notice. The revised version will be posted under Maximum Ride: A New Voice. Go check that out if you enjoy/are interested in this story! Contains FAX
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is my first fanfiction, but not my first story. I have writer's block right now, so I figured writing something where the characters were already supplied for me might help. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter One**

"So, where to, Max?" Fang asked, flying up beside me.

I shrugged. "Jeb hasn't said anything, so I guess wherever we want."

"Really, Max?" Nudge asked from behind us. "We get to choose? Oh! Can we go to Florida? With all the beaches? And they have Disney World! Or California; it's closer and they have Disney Land! I wonder what the difference between Disney World and Disney Land are. I mean, why not just call them both the same name? I like Disney Land better, but Disney World sounds cool, too…" Iggy clamped his hand over Nudge's mouth, saving us all from the never-ending Nudge Channel.

"I vote New York," he said. Angel and Gazzy nodded, smiles lighting up their faces.

"Oh, I loved New York," Total said, popping his furry black head out of Fang's backpack.

New York hadn't been too bad. I looked to Fang, seeing if he liked the plan. He shrugged. "We won't be noticed there."

"Then it's settled," I said. "We're going to New York." I angled my wings to the left, heading towards the Big Apple.

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"Ma-ax! I'm hungry," Nudge complained a few hours later. The previously blue sky was beginning to darken, so I made one of my famous executive decisions to land. 

"Alright, guys. Start looking for a patch of forest to land in." Angel, Nudge, and Gazzy all groaned.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Can't we stay in a hotel for once, Max?" Gazzy asked, looking up at me hopefully.

"Yeah! I'm so tired. We deserve a break," Nudge added, thankfully shutting up after a few sentences.

"None of us would have to take watch," Iggy added.

"Please, Max?" Angel asked. I looked over at my baby, and my eyes immediately softened. She looked so tired, and dark bruises covered her body from our latest fight with the Flyboys.

"Alright. I guess the Maximum Ride card can take the hit," I agreed, slightly reluctantly. It would be nice to have a break, but still…

"There's a hotel," Fang said, pointing to a small, one-story building up ahead. There was a large sign out front, displaying the word 'Comfort Inn' in bright yellow letters. "Let's land."

The Flock aimed for the back of the hotel, where we (hopefully) wouldn't be seen. Iggy, Nudge, Angel, Gazzy, and Fang all landed gracefully. Unfortunately, I wasn't so lucky. My foot landed on a rock instead of pavement, causing me to slip and fall into something very hard and warm; Fang's chest.

To say the very least, I was mortified. The Flock were trying to hold back their laughter, but weren't very successful. I looked up, into Fang's dark eyes, which were dancing with laughter. "You're very graceful tonight, aren't you?" he whispered. I blushed furiously, quickly backing away from him. I stood up straighter, trying to get my leader-presence back. I walked around the building, keeping an eye on the sidewalk for any more stray rocks, the Flock trailing behind me, still trying to hold back their laughter.

I pushed open the door, the little bell above going 'ding.' Fang and I headed to the front desk, while the kids and Iggy walked over to the lobby, where the dinner buffet was located.

"No touching anything!" I called out, not wanting our chances of getting a room to be jeopardized by them eating all the food. I turned to the receptionist. It was just some teenage guy, who looked bored out of his mind. I smiled at him and tried to seem as old as possible. "We'd like to book a room, please."

He glanced over at the kids, who were practically drooling over the food, and then back at Fang and I. "One room? For all six of you?"

I nodded. "Yep. Is that a problem?"

"Yeah. The best I can offer you is a suite. Two rooms, a queen in one, two twins in the other, and a pull out sofa in the middle room."

I sighed; I didn't know how much more was on the Maximum Ride Bank Account, and I didn't want to spend it all in one night.

"We'll take it," Fang said. I looked over at him; he had certainly become much more of a leader lately.

"How long will you be staying?"

"I'm not sure," I replied. I hadn't really considered that; I just wanted a place to crash for the night.

"Alright. I'll put you down for one night for now, just be sure to book it for longer by noon tomorrow if you plan on staying." The receptionist typed something on the computer, then looked back up at us. "That will be $149.99."

I tried not to look too surprised as I handed him my card, but geez, that was a lot of money! He swiped the card, then handed it back, along with three room keys. "Enjoy your stay. It comes with free breakfast and dinner buffets, so help yourself."

"Thank you," I said, turning my back on him. Fang and I headed over to the lobby, where the Flock was waiting for us. "Okay guys, grab some food; we can eat it in our room." I shoved one of the keys in Iggy's hand, who quickly pocketed it. The kids all rushed over to the buffet, grabbing several plates. I handed Fang one of the two remaining keys, then pocketed the last one for myself.

Once all of us had about three plates piled high with food, and the receptionist had about five flies fly into his open mouth as he stood staring at us, we headed down the hall to our room, number fifteen. It was the last one, right next to a large window, which would come in handy in Flyboys decided to barge in. I slid my key into the slot, and the green light flashed, telling me that it was unlocked. I opened the door, and lead the Flock into the room.

The suite was really just a living room and kitchen connected, with two rooms leading off on either side. It wasn't too fancy, but there weren't mice hiding in the walls (that I knew of,) so I was happy.

"'Kay guys, pick a room and eat in there. I want all lights out in half an hour, got it?"

"Okay, Max," Nudge and Angel said, heading for the room on our right, the one with the queen-sized bed. Iggy and Gazzy headed for the room to our left, muttering something to each other about wires.

"No bombs!" I called out after them, although I knew it was useless. I sighed and headed over to the sofa, plopping down on it. I set my food down on the coffee table in front of me, closed my eyes, and sunk into the over-stuffed sofa.

I sat that way for a couple of minutes, relatively relaxed, before I realized that Fang was still standing in the kitchen room area.

Staring at me.

Who was sitting on the pull out bed.

A pull out bed that we would have to _share_.

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**AN: Alright, there it is. Hope you enjoyed it! As you can tell, there will be Fax in this story…maybe next, maybe in a few chapters… Who really knows? Oh, right, I do. Review and tell me if you want it now or later, and I might just listen… :P Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Because I'm so nice, I decided to post this before I went to bed. :P Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Two**

Fang and I were going to have to share a bed. I stood up, turned around, and stared at the sofa, as if it could magically split it in two.

Unfortunately, it stayed in one piece.

"I'll sleep on the floor," Fang offered, stepping closer to place his food next to mine on the coffee table.

"No. We came here so we could relax. Take the bed; I'll sleep on the floor," I insisted.

Fang sighed. "Max, stop being stubborn. You know I'm not going to sleep on the bed while you're on the cold floor."

"Well, I was kind of hoping I could steal one of your blankets," I said with a grin. Fang's face stayed emotion-less, as usual.

"Either I take the floor-" he began, and I quickly cut in.

"No."

"-Or we share the bed."

I looked up at Fang, seeing if he was serious. After our two kisses, it would be…awkward, to say the least, to sleep in the same bed. As if on cue, I became aware of the dull ache in my body from the fight, and relented; it would feel nice to sleep in a soft, warm bed.

"Fine."

We sat down on the couch and began to eat our dinner in silence. The kids were laughing and talking loudly in their rooms, and I suddenly wished I were with them instead. I finished the last of my hamburgers and stood up, heading towards the boys' room.

"What're you doing?" Fang asked, standing up as well.

"Saying good-night to the kids," I responded, tapping lightly on the door.

"Come in," I heard a voice call from inside. I opened the door, revealing Gazzy and Iggy, shoving something under their bed. I rolled my eyes, knowing that they were trying to hide their bombs.

"Light's out," I said, walking over to the bed they were sitting on and sticking my fist out. Fang came in behind me, offering his fist, too. The four of us stacked fists, then Gazzy jumped out of bed and onto the one on the other side of the room.

"'Night, guys," I said, pausing at the door to flip off the lights.

"'Night, Max," they replied, their voices already slightly muffled by sleep. I smiled and stepped back into the center room, leaving the door open a crack behind me.

I headed towards the girls' room next, Fang trailing behind me. The door was still open, so I headed in.

"Hi Max! This place is so cool! Don't you think it's cool? And the beds are so soft! You have to have the sofa, but still, that must be softer than the ground. It's going to be so much fun to sleep with Angel again; it'll be like having a sleepover! I know you want us to sleep, though. Is that why you came in? To say good-night? And Fang's here, too. You guys act like parents, the way you go around saying good-night to all of us. Did you ever think about that? I want to find my parents, but Jeb said that they didn't know. Do you think he was lying about that, Max?" Nudge finally paused to take a breath, and Fang wisely spoke before she started again.

"Good-night, guys." He stuck his fist out, and we all stacked fists. My face was still red from what Nudge had said about Fang and I being like parents. It was sort of true, but still, if we were parents that would mean that we were together. Which we weren't. At all. Right?

"Good-night Nudge. Good-night, Angel," I said, turning off the lights and closing the door partway. They both crawled under the covers and closed their eyes, letting sleep take them.

Fang and I headed back to the living room, quickly moving the coffee table and opening the couch. Fang got some blankets and pillows down from the closet, and we quickly made the bed.

"Good-night, Fang," I said, trying not to look at him as we slipped into the bed.

"Good-night," he replied. I closed my eyes and fell asleep instantly.

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**AN: Alright, sorry it's so short and unimportant. Something big's going to happen next, I promise. I just needed to lead up to what's going to happen. I'm going to bed now, and school tomorrow, but I'll post again after school, as long as I have a lot of reviews. Okay:P**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Here' the next one! Thanks so much for the reviews, guys! I love getting them. :P The more you review, the more I post. I have a whole outline of the story, so I can type up the chapters pretty quickly, but I do need some persuading. :P**

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**Chapter Three**

The next morning the Flock was up, dressed, and fed before eight a.m. The receptionist from the night before was still there, and looked appalled at how much we ate for breakfast. I gave him a sheepish grin as we headed out of the hotel; we had pretty much eaten the entire buffet, and there were a ton more people that they had to feed. It _was_ an all-you-can-eat buffet, though. They just didn't realize that we could eat so much.

"Okay guys, keep heading towards New York. We'll take a quick lunch break around noon," I said, spreading my wings out and giving them a quick shake. The kids all jumped into the air, eager to get to New York. Iggy, Fang, and I followed, slightly less enthusiastic.

"So, what happens once we get to New York?" Fang asked, flying up beside me an hour or so later.

"Don't know. Jeb will probably pop in some time soon, telling me to go save the world, but until then, I don't see the harm in relaxing."

Fang nodded, satisfied with my answer. We flew side by side for a while, the kids and Iggy chasing each other in front of us. I let my mind wander, enjoying the clear blue sky and cool air around me.

"When's the last time Jeb contacted you?" Fang asked suddenly, pulling me from my trance.

"Um…After we defeated the School," I said. "Wow, that seems like ages ago, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Fang replied, already lost in his thoughts again.

"Why?"

"No reason. Just wondering…" I looked back over at Fang. He was gliding through the air, his wings on autopilot, his mind off in some faraway place. I decided to let it go, and flew alongside him in silence.

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"Guys, start looking for somewhere to eat!" I called out to the Flock around noon. The kids all perked up and started searching for a fast-food place. 

"There's one!" Gazzy called out after a few minutes. He pointed down at a diner, about fifty yards ahead of us and in the middle of nowhere. Perfect for a bunch of mutant-freaks on the run.

"Alright, let's land!"

We all landed behind the diner, this time without me tripping (thankfully.) We filed into the diner, being met by a rush of cold air.

There were some ladies dressed in pink poodle-skirts behind the silver counter, and a few people who looked old enough to be grandparents sitting in the booths. Uh-oh, I guess it was a school day. Hopefully no one will wonder why six kids aren't in school in the middle of the day.

We all grabbed swivel seats at the silver counter, looking up at the menu on the wall. A middle-aged woman came over to us, with a pad of paper in one hand and a pen in the other.

"What can I get you, darlings?" she asked. We all placed our orders, and by the time we had finished ordering, the woman's eyes were as large as plates. She quickly shook it off, though, and turned to give our orders to the chef. Hopefully he had a lot of help back there.

"Hey Max?" Iggy called out from the other end of the counter.

"Yeah Igs?" I asked, figuring that any of the people who would hear me call him that would assume it was just one of the names that kids used nowadays.

"Do you hear that?" I closed my eyes, hoping to enhance my hearing, but heard nothing.

"What? The lame karaoke machine?" Fang asked.

"No. That humming sound." I tried to tune out the soft music coming from the machine, but still heard nothing.

"Shoot," Fang whispered, swiveling his chair to face me. "Flyboys."

My eyes widened a bit. I had assumed we would have a little bit of peace after we destroyed so many of them a few days back. I quickly assumed my leader-position, barking out orders. "Flock, get outside, quick. Flyboys."

We all jumped up and headed out of the diner, immediately being greeted by about one hundred Flyboys. Please, one hundred? Easy. They must have had a shortage of Flyboys.

"Hey! Get back here! You can't order all that food and then not pay for it!" The waitress yelled, running out after us. She stopped on the front stairs, her mouth wide open as she stared at the Flyboys surrounding the diner.

"Go back inside," I told her, not wanting an innocent person to get killed by the Flyboys. Her mouth opened and closed several times, and she finally settled on nodding and backing into the diner.

"Let's go," Fang called out, jumping into the swarm of Flyboys with a hard round-house kick.

"You heard him! Get fighting!" I said, joining Fang in the mass of Flyboys. I quickly became immersed in the fight, kicking and punching all the Flyboys I could reach. I used an upper-cut on one of their spines, where they are the weakest.

Nothing happened.

I tried again, this time with a hard kick. The Flyboy was still standing, and now very angry. They must have updated the Flyboys since the last time we fought them. I froze for a moment, trying to figure out how to defeat them. Strong metal arms wrapped around my waist in my moment's hesitation, pulling me into a bone-crushing bear hug.

I've been in this position many times in my fourteen years, so I knew just what to do; struggle. I kicked, squirmed, bit, and yelled, but the Flyboy's arms wouldn't budge. They were locked in place around my waist.

"Go for their knees!" I heard Fang call out. The rest of the Flock immediately did so, swiping the knees of the Flyboys they were fighting. The robots fell to the ground instantly. I tried to lift my leg to kick my captor in the knees, but another Flyboy punched my stomach before I could. I winced as the air left my lungs.

I hated being the damsel in distress, but I had to admit that I was stuck. "Fang!" I called out, before a metal hand clamped down on my mouth.

I felt the Flyboy holding me raise from the ground a little, getting ready to fly off. Fang looked up to see me hanging limply in the Flyboy's arms. Getting hit in the stomach with metal is not exactly pleasant.

"Max!" he called out, jumping up and catching up with the group of Flyboys taking me away. He quickly knocked three of them down with a sweep to their knees. Wow, the whitecoats certainly didn't do a good job on this batch.

Back on the ground, the kids had finished off the last of the Flyboys. "Go find a cave! Ig's in charge!" Fang called out, punching another one in the face. The kids obliged, somewhat reluctantly, and took off.

I hung in the Flyboy's arms, feeling useless as Fang knocked another one to the ground. Now there were just three left. "Let go of her," he growled, sweat appearing on his brow as he struggled with the one holding me. Surprisingly, it did.

From twenty feet in the air.

Fang quickly turned to dive after me, but the Flyboys were too quick. They got him in a death grip and stuck a long needle filled with yellow liquid into his flailing arm. He suddenly went limp, and the Flyboys took off in the opposite direction that the kids did, heading off to the School.

Leaving me on the ground, feeling like my leg had been run over and my stomach hurting even more. "Fang!" I whispered, too weak to yell after him. I raised my head slightly, trying to get up. My vision began to fade, and I rested my head back on the ground, passing out.

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**AN: There you go. Max is unconscious and Fang is gone. Gasp! Don't worry, there will be PLENTY of fax later on. I just need to do this, first. :P Review, please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Here's another one. I should be doing my homework, but I'm on a writing high, and couldn't stop. :P Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Four**

"Max? Max; wake up!"

I opened my eyes slowly, quickly shutting them again as I got blinded by the sun above me. I felt a pair of strong arms slip under me, lifting me up. I leaned my head against the chest of the boy holding me, trying to shield myself from all the voices around me.

"Fang?" I asked, looking up into the face of the boy who held me, whom I had immediately assumed was Fang.

Iggy glanced down at me quickly before responding. "No. We couldn't find him."

"No! The Flyboys!" I cried, struggling in Iggy's hold.

"Max, calm down. The Flyboy's are gone; there's nothing we can do right now. Just relax," Iggy replied in a soothing voice. I didn't want to hear Iggy's soothing voice, thought. I wanted to hear Fang's. I closed my eyes, exhausted, and allowed Iggy to carry me back to the cave where the younger one's were waiting.

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**Maximum Ride, wake up.**

I groaned as a quick jolt of pain rushed through my head; apparently Jeb had installed a new wake up call in my brain.

_What do you want now, Jeb? In case you haven't noticed, I'm a little busy sleeping here. And what's with the whole 'Maximum Ride' business? I thought we had gotten it down to Max._

**You need to get up. Now. You've rested enough.**

Another jolt of pain rushed through my head as Jeb spoke.

_Urgh. Lay off the jolts, Jeb, jeez. I'm up, I'm awake._

**Good. You and the Flock need to get out of there. Head to Iowa.**

_Why Iowa? Is that where Fang is?_

**No.**

_Then it's not where I need to go._

**Forget about Fang, Maximum Ride. He's just a distraction.**

_A distraction? He's my right-hand man! I need him! I lo–_

**You what? Love him?**

Wow, did I almost say that? I didn't love Fang, though. Did I? No, I must have just hit my head in the fall. I love him as a brother, nothing more.

**Stop denying it, Maximum Ride. The sooner you accept the fact that you love him, the sooner you can get over him.**

_When I understand that logic I'll go to Iowa, 'kay?_

**Listen to me!**

Another jolt ran through my head, this one much more painful than before. I let out a quiet whimper, bringing my hands to my head. I heard Iggy get up and walk over to me, but I paid him no attention.

_Why are you doing this, Jeb?_

**You must understand. Saving the world is much more important than your stupid little crush. Forget Fang.**

Being the stubborn person I am, I had to refuse, even if it made it sound like I really did like Fang.

_No!_

**Then you leave me no choice.**

A shooting pain erupted in my head, a million times worse than any other brain attack I'd ever had before. I screamed, clutching my head for dear life. Iggy quickly crouched down, wrapping his muscled arms around my shaking body.

As the world began to fade to black, I couldn't help but wish that it were Fang's arms around me instead of Iggy's.

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**AN: There you go. Two chapters in a row where I've ended with Max passing out. :( Sorry it's so short. Also, there will be NO Miggy in this story! His actions are strictly brotherly. Just wanted to clear that up. :P Also, I might type more tonight (depends on how long my homework takes,) so keep an eye out for the fifth chapter, okay? But if you want it, I need reviews. Lot's of them. :P**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Wow, you guys are really lucky. Three updates in one day! This really is getting rid of my writer's block, though. I've been writing high all day long. :P I would keep writing, but I need to sleep. I'll post again tomorrow, though!**

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**C****hapter Five**

Iggy sighed, running his hand through his strawberry-blonde hair. Max had been unconscious for eleven hours so far, leaving him to take care of remaining Flock, who had all been freaking out, and have watch all night.

He was _really_ glad he wasn't leader full-time.

He felt the sun begin to warm up his back, and decided it was time to get breakfast. Stifling a yawn, he rummaged through their packs, finding some granola bars and pop-tarts.

He walked around the cave, kicking all the younger members of the Flock awake. They all sat up, rubbing the sleep out of their eyes.

"Breakfast time," he announced, tossing some food to each of the kids. He set aside three pop-tarts and two granola bars for when Max woke up. If she woke up.

"What do you mean, if she wakes up?" Angel asked, her voice laden with fear. Iggy cursed under his breath; he had forgotten to block his mind from Angel. Normally his mind was on simpler things, like bombs, so he never had the need to do so.

"Nothing. She's going to be fine. It might just take her awhile to wake up, that's all," Iggy assured her. She seemed to believe him, and began eating her breakfast with Gazzy and Nudge.

After they ate, the kids played some games, hiding behind trees and chasing after one another. Iggy was glad for all the commotion. If it had been quiet, he was positive he would have fallen asleep. A few hours later, they came back to were Iggy had been sitting. They collapsed on the ground, worn out from their games. They all looked at Max, worried expressions on their faces.

"What are we going to do today?" Gazzy asked, breaking the silence.

"I guess we'll just hang out around here for awhile. I can't carry Max for too long. We'll just have to wait for her to come to."

"Oh! Can we go to a hotel, Iggy? I know Max doesn't like spending too much money, but you wouldn't have to take all the watches, and Max would be comfortable, and we do have her credit card, and she can't say no, she's unconscious, and…"

"Alright, Nudge!" Iggy cut in as Nudge paused for a breath. "We'll stay in a hotel. Good idea. You and Angel go find one, okay? Come back when you find one, preferably close by."

"Okay," they answered, standing up and spreading their wings.

"Be back in an hour, no exceptions. Got it?"

"Yepp. Bye!" They began running, then jumped into the air, their wings pumping hard to get them above the canopy of trees.

"Alright, we'll just chill here until they get back, 'kay Gaz?"

"Okay," Gazzy replied, lying back down on the cold ground. "Since we're not doing anything, can I get some sleep?"

Iggy sighed; he had stayed up all last night by himself, and now, when there were no authority figures around, he couldn't even make bombs with Gazzy. "Sure." He was dying to get to a hotel so he could get some shut-eye himself.

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"We found one!" Angel called out as she and Nudge landed in front of Iggy.

"Yeah," Nudge added. "It's only a fifteen minute flight from here. Can you carry Max for fifteen minutes? She's not heavy or anything, but it must be hard while flying. Fang had to carry her all the time. I wonder how he did it? I miss Fang. Are we going to look for him after Max wakes up?"

"Yes, Nudge. Now let's go, before you make me deaf as well as blind," Iggy replied, causing Nudge to blush and shut her mouth. He scooped Max up into his arms, already struggling under her weight slightly. The kids took off ahead of him, then hovered in the air, waiting for him to catch up. He pumped his wings hard, lifting himself from the ground with great difficulty. He didn't know how Fang carried her for so long. On the ground, it wasn't too bad,. but once he got in the air, Iggy feared that he would drop her.

"Lead the way, girls," he said. Angel and Nudge took off, quickly followed by Gazzy. Iggy trailed along behind them, fighting to stay air-borne.

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"Here it is!" Angel said, leading the group to the ground in, you guessed it, the alley behind the hotel. Iggy shook out his sore wings, for once grateful to be on his feet again. They folded their wings in, then headed to the front of the hotel.

"Alright, Angel, I need you to convince all the people in there that it's no big deal that four kids are getting a room, and that one of them is unconscious, okay?" Iggy asked as they entered the revolving doors.

"Okay," Angel said. She turned her attention to the room, using her mind-control on the occupants.

Iggy led the group to the front desk, where Angel got them one room with two queen-sized beds, free of charge. Iggy definitely wasn't going to tell Max that last part; she hated Angel using her powers to get free stuff, unless they would die without it.

When they got to their room Iggy placed Max down on the bed, relieved to get a break from holding her. Gazzy quickly came to his side and showed him around the room so he wouldn't bump into anything.

After Iggy knew the layout of the room, he announced the sleeping arrangements. "Angel and Gazzy can share one bed, Max and Nudge can have the other. I'll take the chair," he said, sinking into the overstuffed chair in the corner of the room. "Get some sleep. Knowing Max, we'll be out the door and out looking for Fang the second she wakes up, even if it is midnight." The kids groaned, but all slipped into their beds and let sleep take them.

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Iggy woke up later that night, around seven. He got up and scribbled a note telling the Flock when he had gone, and headed down the hall to the lobby, where a dinner buffet was waiting, the food slightly cold from being out for so long.

He grabbed a tray and began to pile it with food, getting enough for the four of them, and Max if she woke up in time. He walked back down the hall, balancing three trays in his hands.

He used his elbow to open the door, walked over to the table, and placed the food down. He was about to wake the flock up when he sensed someone watching him.

"Hey, Iggy. How long have I been out?"

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**AN: She's awake:P You know what I've noticed? My first chapter was over 1,000 words, the next about 500, then over 1,000, then about 500, and this one was over 1,000. Will the next one be about 500? Who knows. I don't even know. I just write and write until it seems like a good point to stop, go through, edit it, post it, then start again. :P**

**Okay, I gave you three chapters, over 2,500 words. You better give me many reviews:P**


	6. Chapter 6

AN: I've been looking through the previous chapters, and have found some spelling mistakes. I've been editing these too fast:P I'm just trying to get rid of my writer's block, though, so I don't really care. I just want to write this. I've never written an enitre chapter story before. I usually stick to short stories and the first few chapters of a novel. Hopefully finishing this story will encourage me to finish one of my novels:P Enjoy the chapter!

Oh, and because I've forgotten on all the other chapters (sorry!):

_DISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson._

_CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

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Chapter Six

I sat up slowly, rubbing my throbbing temples. My eyes darted around the room as I tried to get my bearings. I was in a hotel room with the rest of the Flock. I did a quick head count; Nudge, who was snoring next to me, Angel, and Gazzy. Fang was missing, which I already knew. But where was Iggy?

I stood up and walked around the bed to the nightstand, where a pad of paper lay. I scanned the top page, reading Iggy's messy scrawl. He had just gone to the lobby for dinner. When I finished reading, I heard the doorknob jiggle.

I slowly backed up to the window. It was most likely Iggy, but years of experience taught me to expect the worst. The door opened, flooding the room with light.

Iggy entered, balancing three trays of food in his hands. He kicked the door closed behind him, walked over, and placed the food on the table. He went to wake up the kids, when he sensed me watching him.

"Hey, Iggy. How long have I been out?"

"Max! You're up!" Iggy said as loudly as he could without waking the kids, turning to face me.

"Yeah, I am. After how many hours?" I asked. Iggy wasn't one to avoid questions, so it must have been a long time. Four hours, maybe? _Five_?

"Twenty-seven hours," Iggy mumbled, looking to the ground.

"What?" I asked, not bothering to keep my voice down. The kids popped out of their beds, immediately in fighting stance. When they saw it was just me, they lowered their fists, their expressions changing from anger to worry.

"Max, are you okay? You were out for a really long time. Iggy had to carry you all the way here. It only took fifteen minutes, but we could tell that he was really struggling. Did you know that he thinks that you're heavier in the air, too? Anyway, we got the room, but Angel had to use mind control, since it looked slightly suspicious that we were carrying an unconscious teenager, and that we had a dog with us."

I groaned, clasping my hands around my head. She wouldn't stop talking, and the buzzing sound in my head wouldn't quiet.

"Nudge, that's enough. That was her worst brain attack yet, it probably still hurts. Don't go giving her a another head-ache," Iggy said. I gave him a grateful smile, before I realized that he wouldn't see it.

"Thanks, Ig." I sat down in an over-stuffed chair in the corner of the room, trying to make the pounding in my head go away.. Angel came over and crawled into my lap.

"Are you okay, Max?" she asked, her trusting blue eyes looking up at me.

"Yeah, sweetie. My head just hurts a little." I was lying through my teeth, but I had enough blocks up that Angel wouldn't be able to tell. My head was still killing me, but at least I could see again. Before, the pain had been blinding.

"Alright guys, go ahead and eat some dinner. When everyone's done, we're going to get Fang." The kids all nodded and went to gather around the table. Iggy and I hung back for a minute, letting the kids choose their food first.

"You sure you're okay?" Iggy asked as we got out own food.

"Yeah," I replied, not sure if I was telling the truth or not. "I just need some food, then I'll be good to go. Fang's already been there for a day; I'm not going to leave him in that hell-hole any longer."

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**AN: Again, sorry it's so short. It just felt like a good spot to end. As always, as soon as I post this, I'll start working on the next chapter. Also, I am only writing this to get out of my writer's block, but that doesn't mean I don't want reviews! Maybe I'll just finish this and not post it...Or I'll resort to making you guys wait for more until I have a certain ammount of reviewers. :P Probably not, but still, please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Here you guys go. I'm going to go make dinner, then I might write more after. As long as I can get through my homework quickly, there will be another chapter up tonight. I'm feeling really bad about giving you all these short chapters. :(**

_**DISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson.**_

_**CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted.**_

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

We had flown through the night, heading to California.The sun was beginning to rise, and the sky had a pink tint to it. I decided to stop for breakfast, before Nudge began complaining.

"Guys, start looking for a place to eat breakfast!" I called out to my exhausted Flock. We flew for around twenty more minutes, before we came across a McDonalds. We landed, ate, and were back in the air in less than fifteen minutes. Obviously, I was desperate to get back to Fang.

**Maximum Ride, I do not want you going after Fang.**

I flinched as the Voice spoke; each word sent a stab of pain to my head.

_And I want a pretty pony, but that's not going to happen, now is it, Jeb?_

**I'm not Jeb.**

_Then who are you? And where did Jeb go?_

**That is not of your concern.**

_Um, hello. You're in my head. It _is _my concern._

**No. You're only concern right now is saving the world.**

_No. My only concern is saving Fang._ How many times do I need to hurt you before you understand; Fang is _not_ important! 

_He is to me!_

**You **_**must **_**save the world, Maximum Ride.**

_How do you expect me to save the world when the most important person in my life is in a living hell?_

**You will get by.**

_How? Do you even know how many times Fang has saved me? What he…what he stopped me from doing?_

The Voice was silent for a moment. Apparently it did know. Good, I wasn't about to spell it out.

**Fine. You may save Fang. But you must save the world immediately after doing so, or else I'll…well, you should know by now what I'm willing to do.**

I shuddered at the thought of another brain attack. But the Voice had given in; he would allow me to get Fang back.

_All right. Any chance you're going to tell me _how_ to save the world?_

**That's up to you, Max. You have to prove yourself by saving the world.**

_Prove myself for what?_

**You'll see.**

"You okay, Max?" Iggy asked, flying up beside me as the Voice left.

"Yeah, I'm fine. The Voice was just bugging me a little."

Iggy glanced over at me, as if he was expecting me to fall out of the sky any moment. "He didn't give you a brain attack?"

"No. We…compromised. It'll allow me to save Fang, but then I have to save the world."

"He didn't want to risk you falling out of the sky again without the almighty Fang around to catch you?" Iggy asked, a grin on his pale face.

"Guess not," I replied, chuckling softly.

"I wonder why Jeb suddenly switched sides again?"

"It's not Jeb."

"What?"

"I have a new Voice in my head. Did I forget to mention…?"

"Yeah, you did. Do you know who it is?"

"Not a clue."

We flew on in silence, stopping twice more for lunch and dinner, again at cheap fast-food places. Around nine, the whole Flock was complaining about their wings being tired.

"Fine," I said reluctantly. "We'll land as soon as someone finds a hotel."

"There's one!" Angel called out several minutes later. We landed and got a room, using Angel's handy-dandy mind controlling powers again.

"Get some sleep, guys," I said, letting Total out of my pack before plopping it on the ground. "We leave first thing in the morning." The rest of the Flock jumped into their beds, too tired to stack fists. They were all snoring softly before I had even sat down in the chair I would be sleeping in.

I didn't see how the other members of the Flock were so calm. Inside, I was freaking out, though I couldn't let it show, since I was the indestructible Maximum Ride. Fang being gone was like having half of me missing, only worse. Fang had already been gone for two days, and we were only in Utah. We had another whole state to go through before we'd reach him.

I just hoped they let him live long enough for us to get to him.

"Don't worry, Fang," I whispered before I fell asleep. "We'll be there soon. Just hang on."

* * *

**AN: Again, sorry it's so short, but I update very quickly, so it should be alright. I mean really, seven updates in three days? That's a ton. So please review:P Oh, and Fang will be back soon, and the Faxness will begin. :P Of course, I can't make it easy for them, now can I? (Insert evil laugh here) :P Oh, guess what I just learned! You can't put stars in your stories. :(**


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Here's another one! Hope you enjoy!

_**DISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson.**_

_**CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted.**_

* * *

Chapter Eight

"Everyone up!" I called the next morning, around six a.m. The Flock all groaned as I shook them awake.

"Max, it's too early. We flew for hours yesterday; can't we take a longer break?" Nudge asked. Wow, she only said a few sentences. She must be really tired.

"If you want the kids to be able to stay air-borne, you're going to have to let them sleep a little bit longer," Iggy said, trying to reason with me.

"Every second we waste here is another second Fang gets tortured. Do you guys want that?" I asked.

"No, but what help are we to him if we're falling asleep whiling fighting?" Total asked, coming out from under the bed. I snorted; Total doesn't fly there, and he doesn't fight. He was right, though.

"Fine. You guys have until seven. Sleep." The kids gratefully returned to their beds, pulling the covers over their head to block out the sun that was streaming through the sheer curtains.

There was no way I could get anymore sleep knowing that Fang was gone. I had barely gotten three hours last night, even after flying all day and having a brain attack.

I ended up going to the lobby while the others slept. That's one of the reason's I loved hotels; free buffets. The receptionist was all the way across the room, absorbed in a CoverGirl magazine, so I chanced slipping some food in my bag for lunch. If all went as planned, we would be right outside of California by nightfall, be able to get a quick nights sleep, then bust into the School the next morning.

**I hope you're this eager to save the world, Max.**

I jumped as the Voice pushed it's way back into my head. I dropped a few muffins on the ground, then decided to take them anyway for Total.

_What's that supposed to mean?_

The Voice didn't respond. Guess he'd been taking some lessons from Jeb.

I slung my backpack on my shoulders and picked up the trays of food. As I passed the receptionist's desk, she glanced up at me, staring at my pile of food, then politely returned to her magazine.

"Okay guys, up for real this time," I called as I entered our room. The Flock got up again, slightly more eager at the prospect of food.

"Igs, Total's going to travel with you, okay? My bag's full of food." We had ditched the baby carrier a while's back; it was too much to carry. Total just had to squeeze into our bags now. The only problem with that was when we didn't give him enough bathroom breaks…well, our backpacks wouldn't exactly smell good.

I grabbed a chocolate chip muffin and walked over to the window, pulling the curtains open. I silently chewed, staring out into the perfect sky.

"Max?" Iggy asked tentatively, coming up behind me. I turned around to face him.

"Yeah Iggy?"

"We're done eating." Sure enough, the kids were all standing behind him, their bags on their backs.

"Right. Well, let's go then," I said, stuffing the rest of the muffin in my mouth. It wasn't nearly enough to fill me, but I didn't think my stomach could handle any more than that.

We filed out of the hotel in silence. The kids weren't too worried; we had members of the Flock taken before, and we always got them back. But this was different for me. This was…_Fang_.

We walked around to the back of the alleyway and took off. My wings went on autopilot, and my thoughts strayed to Fang.

I know that I've always said that I don't love him, but I was beginning to have doubts about that. I felt terrible when I lost Angel, but it's even worse with Fang missing.

He never should have come to my aid. It was my fault that I got caught; I had put my guard down. Because of my stupid mistake, Fang was suffering. It wasn't fair.

Fang's always the one who helps me. Taking care of the Flock, saving the world; that stuff can make a girl really stressed out. I took care of the Flock, and Fang took care of me. But who takes care of Fang?

No one ever took care of him. Heck, Fang didn't even take care of himself. Whenever we were hurt, he'd take care of us first. By the time he cleaned himself up, scars would have already formed. More often than not, he didn't clean himself up at all. He just dealt with the pain.

"Max?" Iggy's soft voice called out from below me.

I sniffed quickly before responding. "Yeah Iggy?"

"Why are you crying?"

Was I really crying? I lifted my hand up to my face, and sure enough, I felt tears. I wiped them off, something Fang had done for me countless times. "I'm not crying, Iggy. I'm fine."

"Max, I can hear you. I know you're crying."

Had the kids heard me, too? "I just miss Fang," I admitted, my voice just loud enough for Iggy to hear me. He gave me a sympathetic nod, then called out to the Flock, giving the order I should have an hour ago.

"Lunch time, guys! Find a place to land!"

We all touched ground in a deserted park on the edge of Nevada. We had made much better time than I thought we would.

I handed out the granola bars I had grabbed that morning, eating a few myself. I still felt sick to my stomach from missing Fang, but I had to eat something if I wanted to have the energy to get him out of there.

We ate quickly, and were in the air again in a matter of minutes. We continued heading west, flying faster than we had before.

I let myself go on autopilot once more, trying to come up with strategies. I called out random directions to the Flock about the plan, and pretty soon we had scraped together a plan.

"Hey Max?" Angel called out an hour after we had finished fine-tuning the plan.

"Yeah?" I asked, turning to look at my baby.

"We're there."

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**AN: Yay! Fang's coming back! Also, I tried to add some of Max's changing feelings for Fang in this chapter. She had a long flight of worrying about him, she's bound to think things like that, right:P Anyways, I finally got a chapter over 1,000 words again. :P I'll post again tomorrow, I need to go to bed now.**

**You guys got two chapters the first day, three the second day, and three today. I think I deserve some reviews, don't you:P Some of my chapters don't even have one. Please review! I LOVE getting reviews!**

**And thanks to those who are reviewing! You guys make my day! (Really, I read the reviews really quick before going to school, and how many reviews I get determines how happy I'll be at school.) :P**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Please read the following. VERY important!**

_New Characters_

_I am going to add more characters to the story. Not many, but a few. I will kill off several of them, though, since it's so much fun. :P_

_I WANT YOUR INPUT._

_Character names, personalities, looks. Do you want a guy to hit on Max and have Fang get jealous? Do you want Iggy to get a girlfriend? Do you want _Total_ to get a girlfriend? (I've been trying to add him in my chapters lately. I forgot all about him for about for about four, and I felt bad. Did you notice?)_

_I can come up with these ideas on my own if I have to. If I do not like your ideas, I will use my own. I most likely will use yours, though. THEY WILL NOT BE THE CENTER OF THE STORY. I have a whole plot worked out. These will just be sidestories. You know, those sticky little challenges we authors force our characters to go through on their way to solving an even bigger problem? Yeah, those._

_PLEASE REVIEW WITH YOUR INPUT, OR I WILL JUST DO WHATEVER I WANT. I MAY JUST MAKE MAX FALL IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE ELSE IF I DON'T GET ANY REVIEWS. :P_

Thanks! Please enjoy the chapter!

_**DISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson.**_

_**CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted.**_

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

Sure enough, the School was in front of us in all of its evil glory. It was now or never.

"Alright, guys. Let's go save Fang."

The kids all nodded solemnly. Iggy and Gazzy flew down to the School, placing bombs around the exterior, which they would set off after we got out. I figured we might as well get a head start on the whole 'saving the world' thing.

**Very good, Max.**

Urgh. The Voice knew all the best times to pop in, didn't it? At least it didn't send jolts of pain this time. Guess it approved of my blowing up the School.

"Be careful!" I called out to the boys' retreating backs.

I then turned to the girls. "Alright Nudge, remember; you yell, we'll come running." Nudge was going to stay in the air and warn us if she saw anything suspicious.

"I know," she answered.

I nodded. "Let's go, then, Angel."

Angel and I crept through the halls of the School, careful not to be seen. I had chosen to bring Angel along since she could control the minds of whitecoats, but she wouldn't be able to do so on Flyboys, so we had to be careful.

"Do you hear anything, Ange?" I asked.

She shook her head sadly. "Well, I've heard what I think is him. He's really upset. His mind is blocked, though. I can't ask him where he is."

"Maybe we can find a whitecoat, and you can force them to tell us where Fang is," I suggested. Angel nodded, and we continued down the halls in pursuit of a whitecoat. Funny, usually it's the other way around.

We finally came across one fifteen minutes later. I had been beginning to worry; I had told the others to come help if we weren't out in an hour, and we were eating up our time fast. The woman turned to see who was coming down the hall, and opened her mouth to call for help when she realized who we were.

"You will not tell anyone we are here," Angel began, her voice deathly quiet. The woman's eyes glossed over slightly, and she nodded.

"Tell us where Fang is."

"Room forty-six B."

I glanced at the room number to my right; forty-two D. "Ask her how to get there," I whispered.

"How do you get there?"

The woman pointed to the hallway we had come from. "Down there, the last door on the left."

I nodded, letting Angel know that we were done with the woman.

"You may leave now. Do not tell anyone that you saw or spoke to us."

The woman nodded, turned on her heel, and speed-walked down the hall.

"That is one freaky power, Ange," I told her.

"Thank you."

We re-traced our steps, ending back up in the 'B' hallway. Following the woman's instructions, we headed for the last door on the left.

"Anyone else in there?" I asked. Angel shook her head. "Alright. Stay out here. Yell if you need help, force anyone coming by to leave and not tell anyone that we were here."

"Here it is," I whispered. "Anyone in there, besides Fang?" Angel shook her head. "Okay. Stay out here, Angel. Mind control anyone who comes by. Yell if you can't handle them."

"Alright," Angel replied, stationing herself outside of the door. I turned the doorknob and opened it slowly. I slipped into the dark room, just barely making out a figure in the middle of the room.

"Fang?"

* * *

**AN: Wow. Now I'm dying to type more; I have a faxy idea in my head. :P I'm going to go do homework. I actually have a lot tonight, so I'm not sure if I'll get another chapter up. I'll try my best, though. Reviews always encourage me to update, though! Please review. :P**

**Oh, and sorry for the short chapter. :P I thought this was going to be long, but I only got a little bit over 500 words.**

**Oh, one more thing. _The longer you take to review with the stuff from above, the longer I take to update. _:P I know. I'm evil. :P But I'm getting sick of getting about two reviews per chapter.**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Alright, several things before the chapter, please read.**

**First of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH for reviewing! I got over ten reviews on that chapter! That's the whole reason I got this chapter up; I was really struggling with it, since there's faxness, which I've never done before, but I did it for you guys. :P Thank you, please keep reviewing that much!**

**Second, I'm just going to chose who the new characters are. They will have terrible names if I choose them though, so if you can, please send in name ideas! Thanks for the suggestions on what should happen romantically with them, though:P**

**Final thing: _I put an extra paragraph in the last chapter (third from the bottom.) Please ignore it. It's from when I was revising the story; I forgot to delete it._ I'm trying to get these up fast, so I do make several mistakes. This is far from my best work, but my best work takes about a month per chapter (which I'm not willing to do for fan fiction.) Writing this is helping me make my first drafts better, though, so I have less editing to do, and maybe soon my best work will only take a week or less to edit:P**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

_**DISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson.**_

_**CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted.**_

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Ten**

The figure sitting on the floor looked up at me after I spoke. It was just light enough for me to see the boy's face; Fang.

He got up and walked over to me, his eyes trained on mine. Something wasn't right; he was looking at me, but his eyes were…empty. There wasn't a trace of emotion in them.

"Fang? Are you okay?" I asked him. I slowly backed up against the wall. Why was he acting like this? "Fang?"

He stopped when he was right in front of me. "Go away," he whispered, his voice dripping with venom.

"Wh…what?" I stuttered, looking up at his towering form. Why was he mad at me? I had come here to _save_ him!

His hands clenched into fists and he squeezed his eyes shut so he wouldn't have to look at me. "Go. Now,"

"No," I said, crossing my arms over my chest stubbornly.

His eyes shot open again, his eyes filled with hatred. "Get out!"

Fang turned away from me and spoke again, his voice softer this time. "I know you're a clone. Why are they torturing me like this?"

"What are you talking about, Fang?" I asked him. "It's me; Max. I'm not a clone."

"Yes you are. Stop it; I can't kill you!"

"Fang," I whispered, walking closer to him. "I'm not a clone. I promise."

He glared at me. "I don't believe you."

I wanted to make Fang believe me, but I didn't know how. I wrapped my arms around his neck in desperation, feeling him tense.

I looked into his eyes again, praying that the hatred wouldn't still be there. It wasn't. Instead, he looked down at me, confused,

"I promise I won't fly away again," I whispered. I pulled his neck softly down, lowering his head to mine.

When he was an inch away, I paused, waiting for him.

"Max?" he asked, his voice low. I nodded.

In an instant his lips were on mine. He wrapped his strong arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I closed my eyes and let myself become absorbed in the kiss. I knew we had to get back to the Flock, but it just felt so right to be in his arms; I never wanted to leave.

Fang pulled back after a moment, nuzzling his head into my neck. "Don't we have to get back to the Flock?" he asked me. I nodded. "Come on, let's go."

We parted and headed out of the room. I was still a little light headed; how could I have kissed Fang? We were supposed to be 'just friends…'

"Fang!" Angel cried when we exited the room. She threw her arms around his waist, squeezing him tightly. He knelt down beside her, pulling her into a real hug. I smiled at them; Fang acted so much like a father to Angel.

We headed down the hall to the front door. "Angel, Fang and I are going to go save some experiments. Tell the Flock to give us another hour or so, okay?"

"Okay, Max," Angel replied, heading out the door and flying up to meet Nudge.

I turned to Fang. "Do you know where the other experiments are?"

"Yeah. It's just a little bit before my room," he replied. I nodded, and turned to head down the hall again.

Fang slipped his hand into mine as we walked. Wow, he had gotten really emotional since I found him. What had they done to him in here?

As we walked, I noticed how empty the halls were. It might have just been because Angel was controlling them, but I couldn't help but think of the quiet before a storm.

We finally approached the door; thirty-nine B. Fang reached out and opened the door, revealing the most revolting sight I had ever seen.

Counters were covered with small metal cages, like they had been with us. Inside them, though, the experiments lay, moaning and crying. Many had too many or too few limbs. Several of them had already died, and were tossed into the corner until the whitecoats disposed of them, their stench filling the room.

There were no lights, just one small, open window in the back of the room, which most of the experiments were gazing out of. I remembered doing the same while I lived in a cage; I couldn't let them stay here.

"Open the cages to the ones you think will make it," I told Fang, turning to work on the nearest lock of a girl around four years old. She looked up at me with frightened gold eyes. "Shh, it's okay," I told her. "I'm here to save you.

Across the room, I heard Fang bang on one of the cages. "I can't get them open!" he called out. I looked at the kids in the cages; we had to free them.

"Just keep trying!" I called out to him. I struggled with the lock, still trying to comfort the little girl within the cage. I thought I almost got it when I heard Nudge's muffled voice through the window.

"Max! Fang! Get out, quick! Iggy set the bombs off!"

* * *

**AN: Like it? I tried to put FAX in it. I've never kissed a boy, though (I know, very pathetic,) so it was hard to write, but I tried my best. :P Again, REVIEW! I'll give you an imaginary cookie if you do! It's calorie free:P**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Enjoy the chapter. :P**

_**D**__**ISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson.**_

_**CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted.**_

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

Fang abandoned the cage he had been working on and he was at my side in an instant. "Let's go, Max," he said, trying to pull me away from the cage.

"No! I have to save her!" I cried, fighting to get back to the cage.

"Max! Come on! We don't have much time!" When I still wouldn't come, Fang put one arm under my legs, the other under my shoulders, and lifted me from the ground.

"Fang!" I yelled, pounding on his chest. "Let me down!" He ignored my complaints and ran out of the room, down the hall, and out of the School.

I finally stopped struggling in Fang's arms, but he still held me. He took off at the top of the front steps, and his powerful black wings carried us away from the building, just as the bombs went off.

"Is Max okay?" Iggy asked as we became level with them. I turned my head and buried it in Fang's chest, ashamed that I had almost gotten myself killed again.

"She's fine," Fang answered for me. "She's just not up to flying right now. Just start flying east for about an hour, and we'll get a hotel room wherever we end up. Okay?" The kids all nodded and took off flying.

"Guys, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to set the bombs off. I don't even know how I did," Iggy said after the kids had flown ahead.

"Don't worry about it, Ig. They had already gotten to me; we were just trying to save some experiments. The locks wouldn't unlock anyway, so it doesn't matter." Iggy nodded, satisfied with Fang's answer. He flew faster to catch up with the kids, leaving Fang and me alone.

"So, you planning on letting me fly on my own anytime soon?" I asked. He looked down at me, a grin on his face.

"I wasn't planning on it."

"Come on, how can you carry me? The kids said that Iggy struggled with just fifteen minutes."

"Yeah, well, I carry you all the time. Plus Iggy's a lot weaker than me."

"Hey! I heard that!" Iggy yelled from the front of the Flock. Fang just laughed.

"You're in a better mood," I commented.

"What do you suspect? I just got to kiss the most beautiful woman in the world, and now I'm carrying her. I'd have to be insane not to be happy right now," Fang replied, placing a quick kiss on my forehead. I smiled up at him. It was good to have Fang back.

* * *

**AN: Hope you liked it. Sorry it's so short. I'm not doing anything tomorrow, so I'm going to stay up and write. If I'm not too tired, I'll get another chapter up tonight. I didn't leave you with a cliffe for once:P**

**REVIEW! You guys are getting better at doing that, but if you don't, I will stop posting. :P**

**Did you like my imaginary cookies? This time I'll give out imaginary...apple crisp, since I just had some. Yum. :P**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Enjoy the chapter:P**

_**D**__**ISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson.**_

_**CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted.**_

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

That night we got a suite again; apparently no hotel will let a bunch of kids share one room. We ended up having the same sleeping arrangements as the last time we got a suite. I had sent the kids to bed around nine, so it was just Fang and me sitting on the pull out bed.

"So, what did they do to you at the School?" I asked, scooting closer so that I could rest my head on his shoulder. His arm wrapped around my waist, but he stayed silent.

"Fang?"

"They told me that you died when you fell," he began reluctantly. "That it was because I wasn't fast enough to catch you."

"That's why you thought I was a clone?" I asked him. It didn't make sense; wouldn't he just think that they had lied to him?

"No. They sent your clone in before you got there. I figured they had lied, that you were fine, and were there to break me out. But that liquid they injected me with gave them control over my muscles. They…they made me kill her. I couldn't stop." He looked down at me and continued in a whisper. "I thought I had killed you."

I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "But you didn't, so it doesn't matter, right?"

"I guess. The injection wore off right after I killed her, so you don't need to worry."

I nodded, lost in my own thoughts. We sat in silence for a few minutes before Fang asked the question I had been praying he wouldn't.

"What happened to you while I was gone?'

I sighed before speaking. "I blacked out when I hit the ground. Iggy came to get me, and we flew back to the camp."

"And?" Fang prompted, knowing that there was more to the story.

"And I got a new Voice. He didn't approve of me going after you. I got a brain attack, and was out for twenty-seven hours," I finished in a rush.

"A new Voice? Are you okay?" Fang asked. His voice was strained, and I could tell that he was mad at himself for not being there to help me.

"Yeah, I'm fine, now. Iggy took over the Flock while I was out. But we have to start saving the world right away. I promised the Voice that I would if it let me save you."

Fang nodded. "So it's pretty much the same as Jeb?"

"Yeah, I guess. I was probably just out for so long since I had just fallen on my head, so it was already weak." I conveniently left out the part about the brain attack being a million times worse than the ones Jeb used to give me.

Fang nodded, satisfied. "So we start saving the world tomorrow?"

"Yepp. It's getting late; we'd better go to sleep."

"Alright," Fang said. He leaned over to switch off the lights and we slipped under the covers.

"Good night, Max," he whispered, pulling me to him and resting his arm around my waist.

"'Night." I snuggled closer to him and closed my eyes. I was about to let sleep take me when the Voice spoke.

**You don't have much time, Max. Don't let yourself get distracted.**

Pain shot through my head as it spoke, and I held back a whimper so I wouldn't wake Fang.

Looks like I wouldn't be getting any sleep.

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**AN: Just so you know, there will (most likely) be no updates on Sunday. I probably will get another chapter up tonight, though. My internet was out all day, so I've just been typing. I'm already half-way through the next chapter. :P**

**Please keep reviewing! We're close to 50 reviews! That's awesome:P**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Thanks for the reviews, guys, but I still want more:P**

**To those who left me anonymous reviews:**

**tadm: I know Iggy wouldn't be able to write, but he _is _enhanced, so just pretend that he's very brilliant and can write. :P**

**A.S. Lee: Fang will realize that the Voice 2 is dangerous, and it will do something bigger, but not for a little while.**

**Enjoy the chapter! Sorry that I couldn't update yesterday, but I never will be able to on Sundays. :(**

_**D**__**ISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson.**_

_**CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted.**_

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Thirteen**

"Good morning, sleepy-head," Fang said the next morning, a rare smile lighting up his face.

"Good morning," I replied. His arm was still wrapped around me, and I wished that I never had to get up.

**It's time to start saving the world, Max.**

I flinched as the voice spoke. I just picked the most perfect times to speak up, didn't it?

"What's wrong?" Fang asked. I looked away, ashamed that I had lied the night before about the Voice not being a big deal.

"It's just the Voice. Whenever it talks, it sends jolts of pain to my head." I admitted.

Just as Fang opened his mouth to say more the kids came in, chatting with each other loudly. Fang shot me a look that said 'we'll talk about this later,' and then we got up to join the kids in the kitchen.

"So, what have you lovers been up to?" Iggy asked with a sly grin. My face immediately flushed a bright red. Luckily the kids were all talking too loudly to have heard.

"How about Angel, Gazzy, and Nudge go downstairs to get some breakfast for all of us?" Fang suggested, apparently unfazed by Iggy's comment. The kids immediately dropped their conversation and turned to me, eager to get breakfast on their own.

"Alright. Be back in half an hour, okay? Eat your food down there, then bring more up for us, so people don't get too suspicious as to why you're taking so much food," I said.

"Thanks Max!" they chorused. Iggy handed Nudge his room key, and they took off down the hall.

"Kids," Fang muttered, shaking his head.

"They're just excited. You wouldn't understand; you've never been a kid," Iggy said, pouring some water from the sink into glasses for us.

"What do you mean I've never been a kid?"

"I mean that you and Max have always had to act much older than you really were so that the kids would have parent-figures to look up to."

It was true; Fang and I were always the ones who hung back while the younger ones went off to play, who were doing 360's, and who worried about saving the world. "You never were a kid, either," I said, sipping my water.

"I was more of a kid than you were. I'm only third in command. I'm only in charge when you two have one of your 'moments,'" Iggy replied, making quotation marks with his fingers while he said 'moments.'

Fang rolled his eyes, a gesture completely lost on Iggy. He got up to get his laptop and set it up on the coffee table. I went over to help him put back the couch, and then he pulled the coffee table in front of it.

"What are you doing? Checking your blog?" Iggy asked, coming over to sit on the couch with us.

"Researching Itex," Fang replied, typing something into the computer, the screen opened to a Google search engine.

"It's all blocked; we can't get in," I complained about ten minutes of failed attempts to get into Itex's main site.

Fang sighed and leaned against the back of the couch, pushing the computer away from him.

"Let's just wait for Nudge to come back. She can hack her way into anything," Iggy suggested.

"I guess. We just didn't want the kids to know about this just yet," I said, leaning my throbbing head against Fang's shoulder.

"You don't need to keep everything from them," Iggy protested.

"No, but we do need to keep some things from them," Fang said in a tone that told Iggy the conversation was over. Iggy didn't get it; Fang and I were usually the one's who kept things from the kids for their own good, and we usually kept it from him, too.

A little while later the kids came in, carrying trays full of fruit, bagels, and yogurt. They placed it down on the kitchen counter and began eating some of it.

"I thought you guys were eating down there?"

"We were, but the lady kicked us out because we were being too 'disruptive,'" Gazzy said through a mouthful of food. I sighed; didn't these kids know what it meant to 'lay low?'

"Nudge, can you come over here for a minute?" I asked once she finished eating.

"Sure," she replied, coming over to us. I wasn't surprised at her short sentence; she had slowly been talking less and less. She said she felt fine, so I figured it was just because she was growing up. When we had booked the hotel room, I had even caught her checking out some of the boys in the lobby.

"We need you to break into Itex's files," Fang explained, scooting closer to me so Nudge could sit down.

"Of course. Give me five minutes." She picked the laptop up from the coffee table, placed it on her lap, and began typing furiously.

"I'm in."

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**AN: You like? Good, so review! Please? It doesn't need to be long, but the next chapter will be hard to write; I need motivation:P**

**REVIEW:P**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Enjoy:P**

Oh, quick question; do you want Niggy? One-sided Niggy? No Niggy? (NudgexIggy) Let me know, and soon:P

_**D**__**ISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson.**_

_**CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted.**_

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**Chapter Fourteen**

Fang took the computer from a beaming Nudge and began to navigate around the files.

"It looks like it's just what we found in New York," she said as she looked over Fang's shoulder.

"They have to have a map…or a list…or something," he muttered as his eyes scanned the home page.

I reached past Iggy to get the pad of paper off the nightstand. "We already know that there's one in California, New York, and Florida," I said as I jotted down the states.

"The one in California is pretty much destroyed," Iggy added. I crossed that one off.

"Wait! Go there," Nudge exclaimed, pointing to a link at the top of the page. It said 'Other Affiliates.' There would probably be something in there.

Fang clicked on the link, and the page immediately opened up to another page with states lifted alphabetically in one column, and countries in another. Every single one had a link, but only about seven were red.

"What is it?" Iggy asked, slightly annoyed at being left out.

"A page of states and countries," I told him while scanning the list. "Apparently every single state is associated with Itex somehow."

"The red ones are probably the only important ones," Fang said after clicking on some of the red links. He took the pad of paper from my hands, flipped to a clean sheet of paper, and jotted down the names. "Looks like they're the main buildings; we destroy them, we destroy everything."

"What are the red ones?" Iggy asked. We really needed to start explaining things to him more. He acts so normal that we're constantly forgetting that he's blind.

"California, which we already defeated, Colorado, Iowa, Kentucky, Texas, Vermont, and Washington," Fang replied, reading off his list.

"No other countries? Or New York?" Nudge asked, looking over the list on the screen.

"Guess they didn't trust other countries enough to make them too important," I said. At least California was on the list. One down, six to go.

"How do we know that these are important, though?" Iggy asked.

"Well, California is obviously important," I said. "And I know that I've heard Iowa before…." I bit my lip, trying to remember where I had heard it before. "Oh! The new Voice told me to go to Iowa right before the brain attack!" I said, finally remembering.

"And if it wanted you to save the world, it would be telling you to go where Itex is," Fang added, quickly catching on to where I was going with that. I nodded.

"Guess this list is pretty accurate, then," Iggy said. "So, where to first, Max?"

I shrugged. "I guess Washington, so we don't have to come all the way out west again."

"Oh! Isn't that were the president is, Max? Could we meet him?" Nudge asked, quickly dropping her mature attitude and returning to her childish one. I guess old habits are hard to break.

"That's Washington D.C., Nudge," Fang told her.

Nudge's face fell. "Oh, right."

"Max? Are you guys going to come eat?" Angel called out from the kitchen. I had completely forgotten that she and Gazzy were still in eating.

"Yeah, sweetie, one second," I replied. I stood up and turned to Iggy, Nudge, and Fang. "So, Washington first?"

"Okay," Iggy said. He and Nudge stood up to join the kids in the kitchen.

"When do we leave?" Fang asked as he shut down his laptop.

"Right after we eat," I replied. The sooner we saved the world, the fewer brain attacks I'd get. I really didn't want Fang to see me have one of the new ones; he'd definitely overreact. All we had to do was save the world, and I'd be home free. Right?

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**AN: Sorry it's so short! I have something big that's going to happen soon. (Or in several chapters.) Just hang on. And there will be Fax coming up soon!**

**Remember to tell me if you want Niggy or not! If you don't reply, you don't get a say in it! So REVIEW:P**

**Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving:P**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Here's another chapter! And on Thanksgiving! You guys are pretty lucky. :P Enjoy!**

_**D**__**ISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson.**_

_**CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted.**_

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**Chapter Fifteen**

After eating breakfast, we were back up in the sky. I had filled Angel and Gazzy in on the plan, and they were all for it.

"Will any of the experiments join the Flock, Max?" Angel asked me several hours later.

"I don't know, sweetie," I replied. I hadn't really thought the whole 'saving all experiments' thing through. Sure, I want them to be free, but what if they decide to join us? Having six in the Flock was hard enough.

"Most of them will probably want to start their own Flocks," Fang said. "Like the ones in New York did. And if they can't fly, the best we can do is get them several miles away from Itex. They'd just slow us down if they stayed."

I nodded, thankful that Fang had a better response than I did. Angel seemed satisfied, so the Flock continued to fly north for several hours, all lost in our own thoughts.

* * *

"Anyone hungry?" I asked later, somewhere over Oregon. It was already around two in the afternoon, and we still hadn't stopped for lunch. I had been so absorbed in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed that so much time had passed. Nudge's complaints usually let me know when it was lunch time, but she hadn't said anthing.

"Yes!" Angel and Gazzy exclaimed. I guess they were really hungry.

"I brought some food from the hotel with me; how about we stop down at that lake and eat it there?" Fang suggested.

"Alright," I said. "Land on the grass over there."

The Flock all did as they were told, and soon we were all eating while enjoying the view of ducks playing in the clear lake. I leaned back in the soft grass, letting myself relax for once.

"Max? Can I talk to you for a second?" Nudge asked after everyone finished eating. Iggy and Gazzy were working on some bombs near the edge of the lake and Angel was playing with Total while Fang watched from under a tree, so we were relatively alone.

"Sure Nudge," I said, sitting up to face her. "What's up?"

She looked down into her lap, her cheeks reddening slightly. "Well, lately I've…I've felt…"

"Yeah?" I prompted. Nudge looked up at me and finished in a rush.

"IthinkI'minlovewithIggy." Wow, that was definitely not what I had expected.

"You do?" I said, at a loss for words. I mean, Nudge was only _eleven_. Iggy was fourteen. That was a big difference.

"Is that weird? I mean, he's like my brother, right? So I can't like him. But every time I look at him, my heart speeds up even faster, and I can't breathe, and…it's just really confusing."

"No, it's not weird," I told her, deciding to ignore the age difference and focus on comforting her. "You're still young; it might just be a crush. People get those all the time; a big rush of feelings, and then it's gone."

"But what if it doesn't go away? I can't exactly _do_ anything about it; he's part of the Flock, if he didn't feel the same way, it would be so awkward."

"Oh, sweetie," I said, wrapping my arms around her slim figure. "I know; it's confusing. But it'll all work out. I promise."

"How? Should I do something? Urgh, I don't even know how to flirt! What am I supposed to do?"

I pulled back, my hands still on her shoulders. She looked at me with her big, trusting eyes, and I felt horrible. I knew that Iggy didn't have feelings for Nudge. It was probably just a crush, but she would still feel terrible if he rejected her.

"Just give it a while, okay? See if it does go away."

Nudge nodded. "Okay, Max. It's just so hard! I can barely think when I'm around him!"

"I know, sweetie. It will work out, though. Just give it time; everything will sort itself out eventually." Nudge nodded, slightly reluctlantly.

"Nudge! Want to come play with Total and me?" Angel called out. Nudge looked up at me.

"Go ahead," I said, standing up.

"Alright. Thanks, Max."

"No problem." We walked over to Angel and Total, where Nudge went off to play. I headed up to the tree that Fang was under, sitting down beside him.

"What'd Nudge want?" he asked, sliding his arm around my waist.

I hesitated; should I tell him about Nudge's crush? "Promise you won't say anything?" I asked. Fang nodded. "Nudge likes Iggy."

Fang's eyes widened slightly. "But Iggy doesn't like her…" he began.

"I know. She's only eleven, though. I doubt that it's anything more than a crush."

"I guess."

"I still feel bad for her, though. Being rejected by your first crush must hurt. Do you think things would go back to normal between them if she says anything?"

"Probably. We're all too close to let anything stupid like that come between us." We sat in silence for a few minutes, watching as Nudge and Angel threw sticks for Total.

"So that's why Nudge has been so quiet lately!" I exclaimed a few minutes later.

Fang chuckled softly. "Took you long enough to figure out."

"Oh, and you knew right away?"

"It's pretty obvious. She's growing up; she was bound to outgrow her monologues sooner or later."

"I guess. So, are you ready to leave yet?" I asked, beginning to get up. Fang's arm tightened around me, holding me against him.

"No," he whispered in my ear. "I want to stay here and kiss you." His breath tickled my neck, and he leaned forward to kiss my neck softly, his warm lips causing tingles to go up and down my spine.

"The kids will see," I whispered back, pushing him away.

"So?"

"So we need to go." Fang finally relented and we got up, calling the Flock over.

"Alright guys," I said after they had all assembled. "We're going to fly all the way to Washington tonight. Iggy and Gazzy will set up bombs again, Angel will make sure that all whitecoats stay in their offices, Nudge will keep watch, and Fang and I will go in and get all the experiments out that we can. Got it?"

"Got it!" Angel replied. She, Gazzy, Nudge, and Iggy all jumped into the air and hovered, waiting for Fang and me.

"What happens after we destroy it?" Fang asked.

"I guess we'll just find a nice patch of forest and spend the night there. We can decide what to do with the new experiments in the morning." Fang nodded and snapped his wings out.

My breath caught as I looked at his black wings. I had seen them nearly every day for my entire life, but they were still amazing. He smirked at me when he noticed that I was staring, and my face immediately flushed.

"Let's go," I said, jumping into the air join the rest of my Flock. Fang did the same, and soon we were heading towards one of the worst places in the world. Again.

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**AN: There you go! There will be no Niggy, but, as you can see, Nudge does get a crush on Iggy. And I gave you guys some Fax. This was only a filler chapter, but it ended up being one of the longest ones:P I hope you liked it! You better review a ton:P**

**Oh, do you guys want a spoiler? I want to give you one. Don't read the following if you don't want it, though it's not a very big spoiler.**

**SPOILER:**

**_There will be four OC's; Serena, Taya, Jayden, and Saber. They are MINE; NO STEALING! I won't introduce them all at once, but two should be coming in the next chapter! I hate it when people introduce twenty new characters in one chapter; it's just too confusing. :P I hope you like them!_**

**Happy Thanksgiving! And remember to...**

**_REVIEW!!!_**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Wow, two updates on Thanksgiving. :P I just couldn't wait to introduce Serena and Jayden. I think you guys are going to like them. :P Enjoy the (short!) chapter:P**

_**D**__**ISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson.**_

_**CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas and characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted.**_

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**Chapter Sixteen**

Fang and I crept through the halls of the Itex in Washington, ducking under the windows in the metal doors. We had fifteen minutes to find the experiments, and we had no idea where to begin looking.

"Where are they?" Fang asked as we turned into yet another dead end hall.

"I don't know. Maybe Angel can find out? Hang on, I'll ask her."

_Angel, can you hear me?_

**Yeah, Max. What do you need?**

_Can you find out where the experiments are?_

**Sure. Hang on a second…**

**They're in room twenty-seven. Take your next right; it's the third one on the left.**

_Thanks sweetie. How are the others doing?_

**We're all fine. Gazzy and Iggy are almost done setting up their bombs. All of the whitecoats are in their offices; I made them think that there was a lock-down going on.**

"Down here," I told Fang. We turned to the right, coming to another too-white hallway. We came to room twenty-seven, and I turned the doorknob before I could chicken out. I was terrified of what lay behind the door after what happened in California.

We slipped into the dark room, shutting the door behind us. I heard the shuffling of an experiment backing up in their cage, and smelt the stench of dead bodies.

I ran my hand along the wall, quickly coming across the light switch and turning it on. The bright light filled the room, revealing the seven filthy cages with teens in them. The boy directly in front of us was the only one to acknowledge out existence. He was sitting straight up, his dark blue eyes looking right at me, filled with distrust.

"Who are you?" he asked, sitting up taller to be more intimidating when he noticed Fang's height. "You're too young to work here."

"We're experiments, like you," I told him. We're here to rescue you."

"Which ones will make it?" Fang asked, looking around. The boy was the only one who looked alive; the others lay in their cages, unmoving.

"Just Serena," the boy responded, sounding defeated. He pointed to a cage in the corner of the room, where a teenage girl lay curled up in a ball.

Fang nodded and walked over to the cage, unlocking it quickly. He tried to help the girl out, but she backed even father into her cage, the metal bars digging into her back. He stepped aside, letting her get out on her own.

"What's your name?" I asked the boy as I unlocked the cage. He stepped out, ending up to be a few inches taller than me when standing.

"Jayden," he replied. "Who're you?"

"I'm Max. He's Fang." Jayden nodded. "What type of experiments are you?"

"We're two percent avian, so we have wings," the boy explained. "What about you?"

"Same," I replied.

"Where are the other experiments?" Fang asked.

"Dead. Itex has been killing off all of their experiments except for Flyboys."

"Because they just _had_ to keep those furry little robots," I said, rolling my eyes.

"You hate them too?" Jayden asked.

"Every experiment hates them. Now let's get out of here," Fang replied. Jayden and Serena nodded, and we all headed out of the room. All of the whitecoats were still locked in their rooms, so we had no trouble getting out.

"How come there are no workers around?" Jayden whispered,

"We have someone outside keeping them all in their offices," I explained.

"When we get outside, take off and follow us," Fang said. We reached the front door, opened it, and burst into the air.

Angel and Nudge took off and followed us, heading southeast. Iggy and Gazzy let us get a little ahead before setting off some bombs and speeding up to us.

As we flew away from the billowing smoke, I couldn't help but hope that destroying the building hadn't been _too_ easy.

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**AN: Yay! Two down, five to go. :P Like the names I picked out? I do. :P**

**Happy Thanksgiving! I love it when I have days off; I can stay up late and sleep in:P**

**_REVIEW!!!_ You guys _can_ review for previous chapters, too:P I need them. Desperately. :P**

**Oh, and I filled out my profile! Go check out my rambling!**


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Here you guys go! This chapter took forever to write, so I hope you like it:P**

_**D**__**ISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson.**_

_**CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas and characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted.**___

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

The eight of us flew away from the smoking building for about an hour, Serena and Jayden struggling slightly behind us. I don't know how they learned to fly; we didn't learn how to until we lived in the E house with Jeb. Maybe the whitecoats in Washington were nicer than at the School and actually taught them how to fly.

"Land down there, guys," I called out, deciding that I didn't need Serena or Jayden to fall out of the sky from exhaustion on their first day with us. The Flock all landed gracefully, with the two newcomer's stumbling slightly when they touched the ground. My face turned scarlet as I remembered what had happened when that had happened to me.

"Max, we saw a town a little while ago, can we go and get some dinner to bring back?" Nudge asked.

"Alright. You guys can go; Fang, Jayden, Serena and I will stay here. Be back in an hour." I handed Iggy my credit card, and he stuck it into the pocket of his cargo pants before jumping into the air behind the kids.

"I guess we should introduce ourselves a little better, huh?" Jayden commented once the kids had left. Serena stood a little ways off, looking around at the forest. I guess it's pretty amazing when you don't see it every day.

"Sure," I said. "I'm Max, fourteen years old. I'm the leader of the flock, and am able to fly over two-hundred miles per hour."

"Fang, second-in-command," Fang began from beside me, sticking to as few words as possible as usual. "I'm also fourteen."

"I'm Jayden," the boy said. "I'm fifteen, the oldest living American-avian hybrid. I can transfer all pain, physical and emotional, from one person to myself, or vice versa."

"So you can heal people?" I asked. That would be really useful for us.

"Not exactly. I'd still be injured, I just wouldn't feel it. Also, I can't make pain go away. I can either make others feel my pain, including Flyboys, or I can take their pain."

"I'm Serena," the girl behind him said, finally stepping out of the shadows. Her long black hair had camouflaged her so well I had almost forgotten about her. "I'm fourteen and can freeze time for myself for up to ten seconds at a time."

"Only for yourself?" I asked. She nodded. Their powers were both useful, but were very limited.

"What's his power?" Jayden asked, nodding towards Fang.

"I don't have one," he replied, his voice cold.

"Oh…"

"Yeah, but he can beat any Flyboys butt, any day," I said, grinning, trying to break the tension.

"Why do you trust us so much?" Serena asked suddenly. Apparently they were just as paranoid as we were.

"We have a mind reader in the Flock. She already told us that you guys were trustworthy," I admitted.

Jayden nodded. "So, what happens now, Max?"

"We eat when the kids get back, get some sleep, and figure out what to do in the morning," Fang said, placing his arm around my waist. I didn't get why he was being so protective; I was the leader, and Jayden was just acknowledging that.

"We got hotdogs!" Gazzy exclaimed as he landed and ran towards us, waving the famous hotdogs in his hands.

"Did you get any buns?" I asked, laughing at his gleeful expression.

"I knew we forgot something!" Iggy said, setting down the hotdogs he was carrying so he could set up a fire. We all gathered around the steadily growing fire, spreading out of logs. We stuck several hotdogs on sticks and began to let them cook.

Iggy and Serena were chatting on the other side of the fire, which really surprised me. I thought she was silent, like Fang. She was probably just shy, though. Nudge was sitting next to them, glaring at Serena, not noticing that her hotdog had caught fire. Gazzy was gazing at his hotdog, his mouth watering. Angel was stroking Total's back, and Jayden was staring across the fire at me. Fang noticed, of course, and quickly spoke up.

"Max? Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked. I nodded, stuffing the last bite of hotdog into my mouth. I tapped Iggy on the shoulder, letting him know that he was in charge, and followed Fang into the woods.

"What's up, Fang?" I asked him once we were out of earshot of Iggy. He didn't respond, but he pushed me up against one of the trees gently, lowering his soft mouth to mine. It wasn't exactly talking, but you didn't hear me complaining.

"Well, first I wanted to do that," Fang whispered, pulling back slightly, his arms still on my hips. "And then I wanted to talk to you about Jayden and Serena."

"What about them?" I asked.

"Do you think they should join the Flock?"

"I guess, if they want to. They do have wings, it's not like they'd slow us down. And their powers might come in handy."

"Yeah, that's what I thought. That Serena girl was pretty quiet, huh?"

"She was really opening up to Iggy during dinner, though. I felt so bad for Nudge; she must have been heartbroken."

"Jayden seemed interested in one of the members in the Flock, too," Fang said, waiting for me to figure out who he was talking about.

"Who, Nudge? I hope not; he's _four_ years older than her!"

"No, not Nudge."

"Then who? I highly doubt that it's Angel." Fang sighed deeply; apparently he thought that it was extremely obvious.

"You."

"Me? Yeah, right," I said. Though it would explain why Fang had been so protective when we introduced ourselves, and why he had glared at him during dinner. Fang began to say something else when we heard a stick break behind us.

"Am I interrupting something?" Jayden asked, walking up to us.

"No, you're not," I told him, thankful for the distraction. I slipped out of Fang's hold and backed away from him slightly.

"Can I talk to Max for a minute, then?"

"You can talk to both of us," Fang said, his arm quickly slipping his arm around me again.

"Fine. Are you guys together?"

"Yeah, we are," Fang said, glaring at Jayden. I just stood there, too surprised at how blunt Jayden had been to answer.

"Max?" Jayden asked, not believing Fang's answer.

"Yeah," I replied, resting my head on Fang's chest to prove it.

"Oh," Jayden said. He opened his mouth to say more, thought better of it, and turned around to head back to camp.

Once he was out of earshot, I turned to Fang. "I guess he does like me," I admitted.

"Yeah. But he's never going to get you," he replied, wrapping both arms around me. He leaned down again, placing a gentle kiss on my lips that didn't last nearly as long as I would have liked. "We should get back soon," he whispered, pulling away from me.

"I guess," I replied. He let go of me, so that the kids wouldn't suspect anything, and we headed back to the camp.

"Time for bed, guys!" I called out. The kids all groaned but took out their blankets, claiming a spot for themselves. Iggy searched through the bags, coming across two extra blankets that we use when it's colder, which he tossed to Serena and Jayden.

I grabbed my own blanket and began to walk over to where Nudge and Angel lay, only to be stopped by Fang grabbing my wrist. "Hey, where are you going?" he asked. "Stay here."

I blushed deeply for the second time that day, glad that the darkness masked it. I was really going to have to get these hormones of mine in check; I can't go around blushing all day! "Alright," I whispered back. He led me to the edge of the camp and sunk down to the ground, resting against a large oak tree. I sat down next to him, leaning against his warm chest.

"Get some sleep. I'll take first watch," he whispered, kissing my forehead lightly. He tightened his arms around my waist, and I decided not to argue with him about who gets first watch for once.

"Good night," I whispered, closing my eyes to block out the light from the dying flame.

"Good night."

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**AN: Did you like it? It's about 1,400 words; my longest chapter yet. It was _really_ hard to write, but I finally got it done. I spent about three hours on this; you better review:P**


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: Hey, I finally got another chapter up! It's getting late, though, so I'm going to bed. I'm going to the barn on Saturday and Sunday, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to post then. Enjoy this, though, and read the AN at the bottom:P**

_**D**__**ISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson.**_

_**CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas and characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted.**_

_**

* * *

**_

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Maximum Ride, wake up.**

I groaned as I heard the Voice's wake up call. Fang shifted underneath him, and I immediately quieted so I wouldn't wake him. Iggy was the only one awake, sitting across the camp where he wouldn't hear me, his sightless blue eyes glued on Serena's sleeping form.

_What do you want?_

**You've had your break; hurry up and destroy another one of Itex's buildings.**

_It's not even five in the morning yet, and we just destroyed the Washington one yesterday. I think my Flock deserves to sleep in._

The Voice didn't respond. Instead, it sent a bolt of pain to my head, enough to nearly make me pass out. I whimpered and burrowed into Fang's chest, causing him to wake up.

"The Voice?" he asked me, immediately figuring out what was wrong. I tried to nod my head, but it was killing me too much to move. Fang didn't wait for me to respond; instead he began rubbing my back between my wings, whispering soothing words into my hair to calm me.

**Will you listen, or do I need to do that again?**

_Fine, we'll leave right after breakfast._

"Are you okay?" Fang asked me after a few minutes, cupping my chin with his hand and making me look up with him. "Yeah, I guess," I said. "The Voice just wants us to hurry up and destroy the next building."

"What? We _just_ destroyed the one in Washington!"

"I know," I said, sighing and resting my head on his chest again. "But it threatened to give me another brain attack if we didn't leave right after breakfast."

"So we won't have breakfast, we'll have brunch," Fang joked, trying to lighten the mood. When I didn't respond, he wrapped his ropy arms around my waist and placed a soft kiss on my forehead. "Are they really that bad?"

"Yeah. I don't know if I'll survive the next one. It's a million times worse than the ones Jeb used to give me." We sat in silence for a minute, Fang absent-mindedly rubbing circles on my back. Of course, the Voice decided to break the silence by stabbing my brain again, making me cry out.

"Are you okay, Max?" Nudge asked, coming up to where Fang and I lay. Apparently the smell of the breakfast that Iggy was making had woken the kids up.

"I'm fine," I assured her as the others gathered around.

"Aw, you two are so cute!" Angel cried when she saw Fang and I. I blushed deeply, quickly trying to untangle myself from Fang.

"Relax; they've already seen us together, they might as well get used to it," Fang whispered, his arm tightening around my waist, holding me to his side.

I relented, settling into place next to Fang. "Sleep well, guys?" Iggy asked as he handed us our breakfast, winking at Fang and me. I groaned, burying my head under Fang's arm. His arm was shaking slightly, and I pulled back once I realized that he was laughing.

"Hey! Stop it!" I said, slapping him on the arm lightly. The whole Flock was laughing by now, except for Serena and Jayden. Iggy sat down next to Serena and whispered something in her ear, causing her to chuckle as well.

"What, so now we all laugh at me?" I asked, crossing my arms across my chest.

"We've always all laughed at you, Max. Nothing's changed," Fang told me. I gasped, pretending to be offended, before joining in on the laughter.

The Flock continued to munch on their breakfast, all chatting happily. Iggy and Serena still seemed to be getting alone great, but even few minutes Nudge would shoot dagger glances at the new girl. I looked around to the other new member of the Flock, and found him looking pointedly anywhere but at me. I sighed. Maybe adding new members to the Flock would be more work than I had originally thought.

* * *

**AN: Sorry it's so short, but the Voice came back, Nudge and Jayden were jealous, Iggy and Serena were hitting it off, and there was some FAX, so it can't be all bad, right? Right.**

**Now, I am at 74 reviews, and eighteen chapters. I am INSISTING that I get 100 reviews before I put up chapter twenty-one. That means you have to give me at least sixteen reviews from this chapter, chapter nineteen, and chapter twenty. That's being VERY generous.**

**I know that it is hard to review when I update so often, but I'll let you in on a secret: when you go to read the story, and realize that I've posted both chapters seventeen _and_ eighteen, you can _review on both chapters._ See? Makes sense. So go do it; review. :P**


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Hello everyone! I'm finally updating! I'm SO sorry I took so long, life kind of got in the way. I'll try to update very often again, but I can't make any promises. :( Reviews DO encorage me to write, though. :P**

**Oh, and I apologize in advance if there are any errors. It's 11:40 PM, I've been getting very little sleep lately, and I've already taken my sleeping pill, so I'm EXHAUSTED. I get to sleep late tomorrow, though. :P I just forced myself to actually write, and wouldn't let myself go to bed until I did. Happy:P**

**_DISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson._ **

**_CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas and characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._****

* * *

**

**Chapter Nineteen**

"Alright, guys, pack your bags; we're going to Colorado!" I told the Flock with fake enthusiasm after finishing breakfast. Of course, my statement was met by groans.

"Come on, Max, we just destroyed the one in Washington; can't we get a break?" Nudge asked.

"We're leaving today, end of story," Fang said, ending their complaints. I wanted to tell the Flock that _I _wanted to give them a break, but that would mean telling them about the new Voice. I didn't want to burden them, and I still didn't trust Jayden and Serena with that information. The Flock half-heartedly agreed, and everyone headed over to the tree they had slept under the night before to grab their bag.

"Okay, let's go!" I called out once everyone was ready. We took a running start before jumping into the air, our powerful wings beating down hard.

* * *

That night we stayed in a hotel somewhere in Idaho, courtesy of the Maximum Ride Credit Card. I normally wouldn't stay in hotels this often (or ever,) but I felt terrible about forcing the Flock to keep destroying Itex, building after building. 

Fine. Angel used her Bambi eyes.

Angel and Gazzy were already in bed asleep, so it was just us teenagers out in the living room area. Fang was sitting next to me on the couch, his arm wrapped around my waist. Nudge sat on my other side, glaring at Serena, who was sitting in the chair talking to Iggy, who was perched on the armrest. Jayden was sitting in the only remaining seat, the kitchen chair that he had dragged into the living room, glaring at Fang. Can we say awkward?

"So, Max, what's the deal? You've never wanted to save the world so badly before," Iggy said. I sighed; I hated lying to the Flock, but I couldn't tell them about the new Voice.

"I just want to hurry up and save the world so we can begin living in peace," I said, not looking into his eyes. Thankfully, he's blind, and didn't notice.

"The kids are exhausted," he pointed out.

"I thought we had settled this earlier?" Fang said.

"We settled it when the kids were around," Nudge said, tearing her eyes away from Iggy to look at Fang and me. "That's a lot different than settling it with the six of us."

"You _are_ one of the kids, Nudge, and Jayden and Serena are new. Fang, Max, and I should be making this decision," Iggy shot back at her. Nudge looked down into her lap, her eyes watering. I was just about ready to slap Iggy in the face; how could he treat Nudge like that?

"Iggy," Fang warned, his voice low.

"Don't worry about it," Nudge quickly added, sniffing quietly. "He's right. It's getting late; I'm going to head to bed. 'Night guys." She stood up and stretched before heading into the room Angel was sleeping in, sending one more longing glance at Iggy before closing the door partway.

"What are the sleeping arrangements?" Iggy asked, looking down at Serena hopefully. She blushed under his gaze, looking down into her lap. Iggy's fingers played with her dark brown wings, lightly tracing the tan feathers mixed in.

"You'll be with Gazzy, and Serena and Jayden will have the pull-out bed," Fang said.

"What about you two?" Iggy asked, locking his sightless eyes with Fang's in a challenge. Iggy was turning into a teenage boy, that's for sure.

"The chair. We'll each be up half the night on watch, anyway."

"What, so you and Max can sleep together, but Serena and I can't?" Iggy asked, standing up from his place on the armrest.

"Iggy, relax. Fang and I are just getting the chair since one of us will be on watch at all times," I explained, trying to calm Iggy down. Jayden looked back and forth from Fang and I to Iggy and Serena. If you handed him some popcorn, you would've thought he was at the movies.

"Right, and I'm to believe that you two will be opposite sides of the room all night? _Please_," Iggy said, snorting. "I'm blind, not stupid. Although you two seem to forget that often."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Fang asked, standing up to cower over Iggy.

"It means that you and Max still treat me like a little kid! I'm as old as you are, I should be able to do whatever you do."

The room fell silent. I heard the kids shuffling in the adjoining rooms; we had probably woken them up with all the yelling.

"You're right, Iggy," Fang whispered, stepping closer to Iggy, making him take a step back. "We do treat you like a little kid. Do you know why?"

"Because I'm blind!" Iggy replied indignantly.

"No. Because you act like one. You were a completely oblivious to how much you hurt Nudge back there, and now you're trying to overrule Max and me. You are _not_ the leader, so stop trying to be one."

Iggy looked down, ashamed about hurting Nudge. He tried to get away from the taller boy, but Fang wasn't done.

"You and Serena will not share a bed tonight, because we don't even _know_ her. She could be with the School for all we know! If you want Max and me to treat you like an equal, then try _growing up_."

The room was silent after Fang's speech. Jayden, Serena, and I were simply sitting in shock, staring at the two brothers staring each other down.

"Screw you," Iggy spat. "I'm not letting you get in my way. Come on, Serena." The new girl looked up at the pale hand he extended to her. She hesitated, but then took it. "We'll be back in the morning."

With that, Iggy and Serena went over to the window and jumped out into the air, quickly blending in with the dark sky, "Idiots," Fang muttered.

"Relax, they'll be back," Jayden said, standing to join Fang and me at the sofa.

"A lot can happen between now and tomorrow," Fang replied, his voice low.

"Fang, stop it," I whispered, pulling on him arm slightly, not wanting another fight. "Let's just go to bed."

He looked down at me, his eyes immediately softening. "Alright. Jayden, you're in the other twin in Gazzy's room," he said.

"Hypocrite," Jayden muttered under his breath while walking over to Gazzy's room.

"What did you just say?" Fang asked, his voice murderous.

"I called you a hypocrite," Jayden replied, turning around to face Fang. "You won't let Iggy and Serena share a bed, yet you have no problem sharing one with Max."

"That's totally different."

"Sure it is," Jayden said. He slipped into the room, closing the door partway behind him. Fang let out a loud sigh, collapsing onto the couch.

"Fang, you need to get up so we can make the bed," I told him, slightly wary. He had really changed since we got him back; he was a lot more affectionate, but also more protective. Unfortunately for him, no one in the Flock liked this protectiveness, unless it was him protecting us against Itex.

"Right," Fang replied, standing up and helping me pull the bed out. In a few minutes, we had all of the sheets on the bed, which we quickly slipped under, exhausted.

"I'll take first watch," he offered. I nodded and settled against him, too tired to argue.

"We're still going to Colorado tomorrow, right?" Fang asked. He was sitting up, leaning against the couch part of the bed, my head resting in his lap. He fingers ran through my hair, causing me to become even sleepier than I had been.

"Yeah," I replied, my voice already slightly muffled by sleep.

"I'm sorry I overreacted," he whispered.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow, Fang. Let's just get to sleep for now." Fang was silent, and his hands stopped playing with my hair.

"'Night," I whispered, hoping that he wasn't too mad. He had definitely gotten on some of my nerves, but I still loved him.

"Good-night," he replied, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on my temple.

* * *

**AN: Did you like it? Lot's of tension. :P It's also my longest chapter, at over 1,300 words. :P Please review, and again, I'm sorry!**

**Oh, and Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate it:P**


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: Sorry it's taken so long! I just wanted to let you know that I won't be able to post much during the holidays. :( Sorry.**

**Oh, and like I said, I will not post chapter twenty-one unless I get up to 100 reviews! I'm at 96, so you guys are doing well, but I need at least 100 reviews per 20 chapters, so review a ton, guys:P**

**_DISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson._ **

**_CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas and characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

"Max, wake up," Fang whispered halfway through the night. I opened my eyes, allowing the light from the moon to flood into them.

"Yeah?" I asked. It wasn't time for a watch change, was it?

"It's your watch," he whispered. Oh, right; Iggy wasn't here. Great, now I have watch for half the night instead of a third! Fun!

"I say we let Nudge start doing watch, since she keeps insisting that she's so old," I mumbled, sitting up on the bed. Fang chuckled softly, and lay down on the bed, quickly letting sleep capture him. I didn't blame him for falling asleep so soon; half a night's sleep defiantly was not enough.

I stood up slowly, careful not to wake the slumbering Fang by my side. I walked over to the kitchen area and searched through the cupboards in the dark for a midnight snack.

"Good-morning," Jayden whispered, walking into the room. I ignored him and opened the fridge, an eerie glow filling the small room.

Jayden perched on a stool next to the part of the counter that sticks out, resting his chin in his cupped hands,

"It's not morning," I told him, still rummaging through the fridge.

"Well, according to this clock, it's 12:06. So technically, it is morning." I sighed, took my head out of the fridge, and turned to face him, which was probably his goal all along.

"What do you want, Jayden?" I asked him.

"Just to talk. We _ar_eliving together now, no matter how much Fang hates it, and I barely know anything about you.

"Not much to know," I told him, shutting the fridge door and walking over to the other side of the counter to face Jayden. They really need to start stocking these fridges for hungry mutants like us.

"Well, then, let's talk about the infamous Fang."

"Why's he so infamous?" I asked, suddenly feeling protective.

"Because I'm pretty sure that he has something I want."

"And that would be…?"

"You." He stood there, just looking at me, for a good five minutes before I was actually able to open my mouth and respond. Of course, being the amazing Max, I had the perfect response planned out.

"What?"

"You two are together, aren't you?"

"I…I don't know," I told him, lifting my arms off of the countertop and standing up straight. "We've never really talked about it."

"You're basically either friends with benefits or a couple," Jayden insisted.

"There's not third choice?"

"Nope."

I sighed; he couldn't make this easy, could he? "Then the second."

"Oh…" he said, his voice low and hurt. I turned away, not wanting to look at him. I pitied Jayden, but I didn't feel the same way about him.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" I asked, trying to get him to leave.

"Can't sleep. Guess I'm stuck with you for awhile," he replied, a smirk on his face.

"Well, if you're going to be up, at least be entertaining. Think of something to talk about.

"Is Fang usually this protective?" he asked, returning to the awkward discussion of Fang.

"No," I replied. I looked over at Fang's sleeping body, trying to remember when he changed. The past few weeks seemed like a blur in my mind now. "He was always protective, but he's been even worse ever since he got captured by the School again."

"What did they do to him?"

"I'm not sure. He said that they made him kill a clone of me, but I'm sure there's more than that."

"It could be all that they did. Being forced to kill anything that looked like you would certainly make me more protective," he whispered, his dark blue eyes looking right into mine, silently begging me to fall for him instead of Fang.

"Well, Fang's been through a lot more than you and is much stronger. It would take a lot more than that to make him change so drastically," I shot at him. Jayden looked down into hands, his face impassive.

"Right," he said, softly tapping the counter with his clenched fist. "I'm actually getting pretty tired, I think I'll head back to bed. See you in the morning."

"I thought it already was morning?" I called out quietly to his retreating back, regretting being so harsh with him. He was only trying to be sweet; it wasn't his fault that I didn't like it. He looked over his shoulder at me, a small smile lighting up his face.

"Right. See you later, then." He turned to continue to his room, when I felt the Voice shove its way back into my head. I let out a grunt of pain, clutching the counter with one hand to steady myself, and my throbbing head with the other.

**Hello again, Maximum Ride.**

* * *

**AN: Dun dun dun...the Voice is back:P**

**Oh, and for those of you who don't read the top AN's because you just need to read the chapter the second the page opens because it's so good (lol):**

**Oh, and like I said, I will not post chapter twenty-one unless I get up to 100 reviews! I'm at 96, so you guys are doing well, but I need at least 100 reviews per 20 chapters, so review a ton, guys:P**


	21. Chapter 21

** AN: Hello again:P Do you guys want to know something? YOU ARE AWESOME! I have over 100 reviews! Thank you so much! So, because of that, here is chapter 21, and it's super long! (Well, 1,088 words.) (Also, just because I'm so happy does not mean you can get away with not reviewing!) :P **

**_DISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson._ **

**_CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas and characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-One**

_Why hello, Voice. What a pleasant surprise,_ I thought sarcastically. I sat still, waiting for the pain to subside. It finally did lessen slightly, just enough so I wouldn't pass out.

**I do not have time for games, Maximum.**

_Well then, if you're so busy, I guess you'd better get out of my head. I wouldn't want to make you late for anything._

A soft footstep grabbed my attention, pulling me back into the normal world. My vision was still too blurry to make out who it was, but I knew that someone was approaching me.

**Listen to me!** The Voice said, sending another stab of pain in my head. I bit down on my lip hard to prevent myself from crying out, drawing a bit of blood. My legs gave out from under me, and I sunk to the floor with a soft 'thud.'

"Max!" someone whispered again, hurrying over to my side and kneeling down next to me. Long, ropy arms wrapped around my shoulder, and a cold hand was placed on my hair, pulling my head against the boy's chest. I closed my eyes (they weren't being very useful anyway,) and allowed the boy, whom I assumed was Fang, comfort me.

You cannot let Serena come back. I groaned again as the voice spoke. My head was still too sore to be aware of what was happening within it and outside of it at the same time, so it felt as if the real world and the Voice were playing tug-of-war with my mind. 

_Why not? Is she with the School?_ I asked, allowing myself to be pulled into the Voice's world, letting the boy holding me make sure I was safe.

**She is not to be trusted.**

And then, of course, I passed out.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, I was still in the boy's arms. The little sunlight coming in through the curtain was enough to make my head throb, so I closed my eyes and buried my head in the boy's shoulder.

In the living room, someone got up from the pullout bed and walked into the kitchen. The person stopped once he (she?) was in the kitchen, presumably staring at Fang and me on the floor.

"What happened?" I heard Fang whisper, his voice low and deadly. The voice didn't come from beside me, though. Fang was the one standing. So who was holding me?

"Nothing! She just clutched her head and passed out!" Jayden responded, his voice slightly high with worry. I groaned at the noise (and at the fact that now Fang and Jayden would fight) and covered my ears with hands. So that's who was holding me.

"Get away from her," Fang growled. I opened my eyes slightly to look up at him, and instantly regretted it. He looked murderous, which was probably why Jayden jumped up and backed into the counter at his command.

"Max?" Fang asked in his usual calm, deep voice, so I could actually listen to it without being in too much pain. "Are you okay?" He knelt down next to me and lifted my chin with his hand, forcing me to look into his eyes. The anger had been replaced with worry.

"I'm fine," I told him, knowing enough by now not too nod after a brain attack. "It was just the Voice."

"What Voice?" Jayden asked from behind us. Fang ignored him, instead picking me up bridal style and carrying me over to the pullout bed. I wrapped my arms around his neck, too tired to argue about being carried.

"Max? What's he talking about?" Jayden asked again, trailing along behind us. "Why did you pass out?"

Fang placed me onto the bed, and my aching head sank into the soft pillows. If that's not bliss, then I don't know what is.

"It's nothing. Just go back to bed for a couple of hours. No waking the kids," Fang replied. He slipped onto the bed next to me, letting my head rest on his head while he stroked my hair. Never mind; _this_ was bliss. I rested against him, letting Fang take care of getting rid of Jayden and his too-high voice.

"I'm older than you; I should be able to know what is going on!" Jayden argued, his voice rising slightly.

"You're also new."

"So what?"

Fang sighed; apparently Jayden didn't know when to shut up. "So I'm always going to find out what happens before you do. Now go to bed."

"Why should you get to find out first? You're the one who wouldn't even bother to get up when she was hurt!"

Trust me on this one; that was just about the _worst_ thing that Jayden could say at the moment. Fang's jaw clenched, and his eyes squeezed shut for a moment to stay calm. He didn't want the kids to wake up, or my head to hurt even worse than it already did.

"Trust me, I've gotten up for this, and other things, plenty of times before. Now go to _bed_." Jayden finally relented and turned on his heal, heading back into the boy's room, muttering what sounded suspiciously like curses under his breath.

"So, what did the Voice say?" Fang asked me once Jayden was back in bed.

"It told me that we shouldn't trust Serena," I admitted. I hadn't wanted to tell Fang; we didn't trust the Voice, so I figured I could just forget about it. The sensible part of my brain told me that I needed somebody to know (and that Fang would kill me if I kept that information from him.) And, for once, that side won.

"Why not?" Fang asked, careful not to let on that he was worried.

"It didn't say."

Fang nodded, and we both lay there thinking for a moment. "What should we do when she gets back?" Fang asked after a few minutes. I sighed deeply, rubbing my temple softly.

"I don't know. Let's just figure that out when they get back."

"All right," Fang whispered, removing my hands from my temple and placing a kiss where they had been. "I've got watch. Get some sleep."

"Okay," I replied. I was desperate for sleep; there was no way I was going to argue with Fang about watch. I closed my eyes, letting my sore head finally take a break. Right as sleep took me, the Voice spoke up.

**Don't forget what I said, Maximum. Do not let Serena stand in your way of saving the world.**

* * *

**AN: You like? I did. :P**

**Oh, and don't worry; something will happen with Max and Jayden, and Nudge will get her chance at a romance. It all comes in time, people. :P I have a LOT more planned. I'm excited:P**


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: Enjoy:P**

**_DISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson._ **

**_CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas and characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._******

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

A few hours later I woke up, relieved when I realized my headache was gone. I was still lying against Fang, his fingers working their way through my hair. "Good morning, sleepy head," Fang whispered when he realized I was up.

"Good morning," I replied, trying to stifle a yawn. "Are Iggy and Serena still gone?"

"Yeah," Fang said. I could tell he was worried; it was already nine and they weren't back. Iggy couldn't stay up all night, which meant that Serena would have taken some of the watch. What if she did something? What if she allowed the Flyboys to come and kill him?

"I'm sure they're fine," Fang insisted when he saw my worried expression. "They probably just overslept like the kids. It's been a long week."

"Yeah, and if the Voice has anything to say about it, it will be even longer," I told him, groaning.

"What do you mean?"

"It's not going to stop giving me brain attacks until we destroy Itex. It won't let us take a break," I explained.

Fang nodded slowly, deep in thought. "What if…what if destroying Itex doesn't save the world?"

"I don't know. I hadn't thought of that," I told him, now worried. We had been listening to this Voice who nearly killed me every time it spoke; that doesn't exactly sound like a good guy, does it?

"Though Jeb wanted us to destroy Itex, too, and he was fine," I said.

Fang nodded, stood up, and headed into the kitchen, leaving me feeling very alone on the large bed. "Anything to eat around here?" he asked, rummaging around the cupboards.

"Why would I know?" I asked him indignantly.

"'Cause you're the one who, when getting to a new place, immediately raids the kitchen," Fang said with a grin.

"Only to get food for Nudge!" I replied, a small grin on my own face.

"_Sure_." I gasped in mock anger, grabbed a pillow, and threw it across the room at Fang. Of course, he caught it, and threw it right back at me, hitting me in the head.

"Meanie," I said, sticking my tongue out at him. He laughed quietly, careful not to wake anyone.

"So, what should we tell the kids?" Fang asked, leaning on the counter like Jayden had during the night.

"What should you tell the kids about what?" Nudge asked, stepping out of her room and into the main one.

"Nothing," I quickly said, not wanting to tell Nudge that the boy she liked had spent the night with someone else.

"O-kay," she said, looking at me strangely. "Anyways, is Iggy going to cook breakfast soon?"

"No," Fang said, saving me from coming up with an answer. "We're going to the buffet today; there's no food in here."

"Alright," she said, coming over to the counter and sitting on the stool. I shot a worried glance over Nudge's head to Fang; Nudge would figure out that Iggy had left overnight when she saw him come in.

"Where are Serena and Jayden?" Nudge asked, swiveling in her chair to look up at me.

"Um…they're in Iggy and Gazzy's room," I lied. "How about we go wake them up, and you get Angel?" Fang sent a look back at me, but I just shrugged. If Iggy and Serena didn't come back while Nudge was getting Angel up, we'd have to tell the kids what had happened and go look for them.

"Okay!" Nudge replied, very lively for just waking up. She hopped off of the stool and was beginning to walk to her room, when we heard a card slide into the slot. She froze and looked at Fang and me, then back to the door, not knowing who could be coming in, or why Fang and I weren't in a fighting stance.

The doorknob turned slowly, and then was pushed open, reveling two winged teens in the doorway. Iggy and Serena were back.

* * *

**AN: Uh-oh:P Did you like it? Please review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: Here you go; another chapter. It didn't come out nearly as well as I wanted it to, but I don't really care, since I'm just writing to break my writer's block, which I've gotten again. :( It's becoming harder and harder to write these chapters. Anyways, I hope you like it, even ifI don't.**

**_DISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson._ **

**_CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas and characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

"Hey guys," Iggy said, raising his hand slightly in greeting. Serena stood by his side looking at the ground, refusing to meet our eyes.

I looked up at Fang, letting him choose what to do for once, since I had no idea.

"Nudge and Serena, go to Angel's room. Iggy, come with us," he said, walking over to the pullout bed and sitting down on it with me following behind him.

Nudge finally tore her eyes away from the couple and headed into her room, her eyes just beginning to water slightly. Iggy placed a quick peck on Serena's check, then she followed Nudge.

Iggy reluctantly headed over to us, sitting down in the chair.

"So, what's up?" he asked, twiddling his thumbs nervously.

"_What the hell do you think you're doing?_" Fang asked, cursing for the first time in a while.

"Fang," I warned, putting my hand on his knee to calm him down slightly.

"No, Max, let him finish," Iggy said calmly, leaning back in his chair and looking at the spot Fang's voice was coming from. "Please, Fang, go on. I just love to hear your rants."

Fang rolled his dark eyes. "What about Nudge?" he asked.

"Right, I'm going to ignore an amazing girl just because the girl who might as well be my _sister_ has a crush on me."

"You should have talked to her. How do you think she felt when she realized that you spent the night with Serena?" I asked.

"Then I'll talk to her. It's really not that big of a deal."

"She was crying!" I said, glaring at the boy. "How could you hurt her like this?"

"It's not like I'm trying to hurt her! I'm not going to stay away from Serena just because Nudge has a stupid _crush _on me! She's three years younger; she'll get over it."

"Iggy, what are you doing? This isn't like you," I said. Fang sat beside me silently, knowing that if he spoke up he'd just yell again.

"I've never liked someone who liked me back before!" Iggy defended.

"Wait; did you like someone who _didn't_ like you back?" Fang asked suspiciously.

"Kinda…" he mumbled, looking into his lap.

"Who? One of the million beach bunnies you made me describe?" Fang asked.

"No. It was Max." Fang's arm subconsciously wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer to him. "But I'm over it now, because I have Serena," Iggy quickly added, hearing Fang's defensive movements.

"Well, wasn't it hard to see me with Max before you had Serena?" Fang asked, his voice finally calm and understanding. He actually knew how it felt; he had had to see me with Sam for a while back at Anne's.

"Well, yeah, but…"

"That's how Nudge feels now! And you know that she feels this badly, and you're just ignoring her!"

"I'll talk to her," Iggy said, finally relenting. "But I'm not going to stop being with Serena. I care about her."

"We're not saying you can't be with her. You don't just go off and spend the night with someone you barely even know!" I said.

"It's not like we even did anything."

"So what? You guys need to slow down. She's only been with us for a few days," Fang reasoned.

"What do you have against Serena, anyway? You seem to trust Jayden. Well, Max does, at least, but since he keeps hitting on Max, it's not too hard to figure out why you don't," Iggy said.

"The Voice told us that we can't trust Serena," I answered, not liking being spoken about as if I weren't there. Besides, if I let Fang answer, he'd most likely start a rant about Jayden. Him becoming more talkative probably wasn't the best thing in the world.

"The Voice that's trying to kill you?" Iggy asked.

"Well…yeah…"

"Why would you believe it? It's most likely lying. Besides, if you're so worried about Serena, just have Angel check her over." Iggy suggested.

"Yeah, I guess," I said. I had completely forgotten about having Angel check the new kids over. Some leader skills there, huh?

"Anyways, it's getting late. I'll have Angel check them out in the air. Go wake Gazzy and tell him to meet us in the lobby for breakfast in ten minutes, 'kay, Iggy?" I asked, allowing him to get away from Fang and me and out lectures. He nodded and walked over to his bedroom to wake his pyro brother.

"I'll wake the others while you pack," Fang offered, walking over to the deadly silent girls' room. I nodded and grabbed our bags, quickly stuffing them with our belongings.

* * *

**AN: So, what do you think? Was it as terrible as I thought it was? I pretty much knew what I needed to say, and just forced it to come out. It wasn't easy to write at all. :( Oh, well, please review anyway:P**


	24. Chapter 24

**AN: Here's another one:P I still have writer's block, but I think this chapter came out a little bit better than the last one.**

**Oh, and great job reviewing, guys:P For a while, I was only getting about 2 per chapter, but now I'm at about 10 per chapter:P Thanks so much, keep it up!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**_DISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson._ **

**_CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas and characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Four 

About an hour later everyone was up, dressed, fed, and in the air. Despite the Flock's wishes we were heading towards Colorado, about a day's flight away, as long as we didn't take too many breaks. Angel and Gazzy, the only two who had gotten a full night's sleep, were chasing each other through the air, doing twirls and flips, while the rest of us watched, each lost in our own thoughts.

"Angel, come over here for a minute," Fang called out, interrupting her mid-flip. She nodded and did a quick loop in the air to fly back to Fang and me.

"Yeah?" she asked, looking up at us with her big blue eyes.

"We need you to check out Serena and Jayden for us," Fang said.

Angel's small forehead crinkled slightly, confused. "I already did. Nudge had me do it when they first joined us. I thought you had asked her to have me read their minds."

"Oh…" I said. Nudge really was growing up; she had been the only one in the Flock who actually remembered to check out the new members. "Well, can you just do a quick scan of their minds again? We think that Serena might be with Itex."

"Alright, Max," Angel agreed, looking over at Jayden, her eyes glazing over. We waited for a minute, then her eyes focused again, a confused look on her face.

"What is it, sweetie?" I asked.

"He's not with Itex, but he really hates Fang. I don't know why, though, his thoughts are really jumbled up. It was something about having to beat Fang at something…" She looked at me fearfully. "He's not going to try to hurt Fang, is he?"

"No, he just doesn't like me very much. It's fine," Fang assured her. "Can you check out Serena, though?" Angel nodded, and her eyes glazed over once more.

"He doesn't like you," I teased Fang. He rolled his eyes at me.

"Of course he doesn't. He's jealous."

"Of what?" I asked, joking.

"My amazingly good looks," he replied with a grin. I rolled my eyes and pushed him, causing him to fly off course for a minute.

"Hey!" he said, laughing. I just smiled innocently at him.

"She's fine, too," Angel said after a few minutes later, her eyes focusing.

"Are you sure?" I asked. What had the Voice meant, then? It said she was going to try and stop me from saving the world, which would mean she was with Itex, right?

"Yeah. I was really careful. I didn't find anything in there. She's really upset, though."

"Why's she upset?"

"Because she thinks that everyone is mad at her. Well, except for Iggy." I nodded. Serena wasn't altogether wrong. We weren't _mad_ at her, we were just mad at how she was making Iggy act.

"Thanks Angel," I said. She flashed a smile at us, then turned to join her brother in front of the Flock.

"If she's not with Itex, then why doesn't she want us to destroy them?" I asked Fang once Angel was out of earshot.

"I don't know. Maybe she doesn't care if we destroy them or not. She never said anything; the Voice just told us that she was going to," Fang reasoned.

"I guess. It just seems like it's too easy to destroy Itex. Maybe they're using Serena to stop us, instead of Flyboys?"

"Wouldn't Angel pick up on that?"

"Not if Serena knows how to block part of her mind," I said, looking over at the girl, as if I could read any hidden part of her mind with a glance.

"I just don't feel like Serena is a threat. It has been too easy to save the world, but I don't think it has anything to do with Serena."

I shrugged. "I guess we'll find out soon enough. Here she comes."

"Max?" Serena asked as she approached, looking pointedly at Fang. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure," I said. Fang flew off to the side a bit, understanding that she didn't want him around while she spoke to me, but stayed close enough so that he could hear what we were saying.

"We shouldn't destroy the Itex in Colorado," she said in a rush, refusing to meet my eyes as she spoke.

I glanced over at Fang, making sure that he was listening, which he was. "Why not?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. I just have a really bad feeling about it."

"Why?" I asked, slightly annoyed. Didn't she get how bad Itex is? "Itex is terrible; they're the ones who gave us these wings, who made Iggy blind, who preformed test after test on us! Destroying them will be a great thing."

"I know, I just can't help but feel that something bad will happen."

"Nothing bad will happen. We just need to get rid of them once and for all."

Serena looked away, not wanting to agree.

"All right?" I asked, needing to get an answer.

"Fine," she said, sighing heavily.

"Hey guys?" Gazzy called out from ahead of us.

"Yeah Gaz?" I asked, turning away from Serena to face Gazzy, who had stopped flying mid-stroke.

"Flyboys. Ten o'clock."

* * *

**AN: I'm putting in some Flyboys for those of you who wanted them. :P Oh, and sorry if you guys got mad about the whole 'Iggy used to like Max' thing. It has no relevence to the story, other than making Fang realize how Iggy must have felt. Don't worry, there will be no Miggy. Or Fudge. Or slash. Or Niggy (though at times there is one-sided Niggy, like Nudge's crush. But nothing will happen.)**

**Please review:P**


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: Hey, guys, it's me again. :P Did you miss me?**

**I'm sorry I took so long to review; things are very hectic during winter break for me. :( It's my birthday, though, and I'm sick, so you should be very grateful for this update and review a ton. ;P**

**Enjoy! **

**_DISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson._ **

**_CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas and characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

"Shoot," I muttered, pausing in the air and watching the Flyboys approach. They just loved to come at bad times, didn't they?

"Do you guys know how to fight?" Fang called out to Serena and Jayden. They looked at the Flyboys a bit warily, but nodded.

"Yeah," Jayden replied, clenching his fists and gluing his eyes on the approaching creatures.

"Good, 'cause now would not be a good time to learn," I said. The furry robots swarmed in front of us, their metallic wings beating hard to keep them stationary in the air.

"Surrender," they commanded in unison.

"Do we have to go through this every time?" I asked. "We'll _never_ surrender." The Flyboy in the front locked his eyes on mine.

"Then we will take you by force."

The Flyboys all charged at once, looking more like a herd of wild animals than robots. I lost track of the rest of the Flock as the Flyboys surrounded us; the only thing I could see was metal.

I began throwing punches every chance I got, taking down as many Flyboys I could. Luckily, they were the batch with the bad knees. Flyboy after Flyboy fell, and soon there was a pile of them littering the ground. The area around me thinned, and I could see the others.

Even though the Flyboys had weak knees, they were strong. All of us were suffering several injuries; just black eyes and bruises, though, nothing very serious. Our strategy? Get beat up, find a chance to hit their knees, and make them fall to the earth, several hundred feet below. Worked like a charm.

"Max!" Fang called out from below me. "Serena and Jayden need help!" I glanced over to the newest members, who couldn't seem to get any punches in. I made sure my original Flock was all right, then followed Fang to Jayden and Serena.

"Just kick them in the knees!" I yelled, starting to take down the Flyboys surrounding them. They tried, but still only managed to defeat one or two each. The Flyboys seemed to realize that Jayden and Serena were the weakest members of the Flock, and were all ganging up on them. Iggy and Nudge came over to help, while Angel and Gazzy fought the stragglers.

"Fire in the hole!" Gazzy suddenly shouted, making everyone, including Jayden and Serena, stop mid-punch and look up at him. His small hands were fumbling with some wires on a bomb, and his forehead was scrunched up in concentration. I gasped as the air got knocked out of me, pulling me back to the fact that we were surrounded by Flyboys.

"Move!" I commanded, pushing Serena and Jayden out of the way. The rest of the Flock followed, everyone pulling their wings in and diving to get shelter under the trees.

We touched ground several hundred yards to the side of were we had been fighting, not wanting to be showered by Flyboy bits. I sunk to the ground once we stopped, tired and sore, Nudge and Angel sliding to the ground beside me. Iggy remained standing and began to pace, waiting for the bomb to off. Fang approached Jayden and Serena, his expression dangerous.

"I thought you said you could fight," Fang growled. I let my head drop into my hands with an exasperated sigh; I was too tired to stop Fang from fighting with them.

Iggy's head quickly snapped back, forgetting about the bomb as he saw Fang approaching Serena. "Leave her alone! They probably know how to fight; they're just not that good at it yet," he said, stepping in front of her defensively.

Fang glared at Iggy, having a silent fight with him. His fists were balled in tight fists by his sides. When Iggy didn't back down, Fang turned his back on him and walked several feet away.

"They put us in danger. That wouldn't have happened if we knew they weren't good fighters. We would've covered them from the beginning," he said, his back turned on the Flock as he searched the sky through an opening in the canopy.

"You're just over-reacting because you don't like them! You're jealous of them!"

Fang seemed to not hear Iggy's comment. His body froze, and his fists loosened, hanging limply by his sides. He cursed under his breath.

"Gazzy's still up there!" he exclaimed, turning to face us so quickly I was surprised he didn't get whiplash. My eyes quickly scanned the forest for the little pyro, but I couldn't find him. How could we not notice that he was missing?

I jumped up from my spot on the ground and was at Fang's side in an instant, searching through the metal-filled sky for Gazzy.

"Should we go help him?" Nudge asked, not sure if she was supposed to risk going in right as he set off the bomb.

"No. He'll get the bomb to work, and then we'll all be fried. He just needs a minute," Iggy said, listening intently for any sign of him. I knew that Iggy was right, but as I nearly jumped into the air to help him as I laid my eyes on him.

His tiny fingers were still fumbling with the wires, and the Flyboys were using that to their advantage. He was doing little flips in the air, dodging as many punches as he could, but he wasn't able to keep his eyes on them, and got hit repeatedly. The Flyboys were trying to destroy the bomb in his hands, which he held in front of his abdomen protectively. They weren't able to hit the bomb, but he got hit in the stomach repeatedly as they missed.

I watched as Gazzy's bruised face lit up in a smile. He connected one more wire, let go of the bomb, and allowed it to drop it into the mass of Flyboys surrounding him. He shot up into the clouds, trying to get out of the way, but he was too slow and the bomb was too fast.

The fire from the explosion shot up, engulfing his small frame. The tips of his wings got scorched, and he began to fall.

* * *

**AN: All right, chapter 25 is FINALY done. I've been writing snipets of it for the past two weeks. Urgh.**

**Anyway, I wrote a one-shot that you guys should check out. It's not related to this at all, but it's kind of faxy and sweet. :P It's called 2,000 Miles. Just go to my profile to get to it, if you're too lazy to look through the listing like me. :P**

**I hope this chapter turned out all right. I stink at writing fighting scenes, I'm sick, and I'm tired. (I only got four hours of sleep. Me+Little SleepEvil Person) Like I've said before, I'm writing this for quantity, not quality. I just want to finish a novel length story. It's HARD!**

**Please review, or I might take even longer to post next time:P**


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: Here's another chapter. Sorry about the wait. I think I'm finally getting back into writing a lot, though I have a lot of homework tonight. If I can finish in time, I'll write and post another chapter.**

I actually finished this last night. Something caused the family computer to lose internet access, though, so my mom went on a late lunch break today (she works from home) so I could use the work computer when I got home from school. I put it on a disk, so here it is. :P I'm going through a lot of effort to get these to you with no internet, so please review:P

**_DISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson._ **

**_CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas and characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

Fangs dark wings shadowed me as he suddenly appeared above my head, flying to the spot Gazzy was going to land. Fang's reaction made the rest of the Flock break out of our trances, and we all spread out wings and followed. I decided not to use my super-speed, knowing that, even though I could get there before Fang, he would have to be the one to catch Gazzy. Fang had been built to be extremely strong, not me. I wouldn't be able to catch Gazzy after the force of his fall.

Fang shot ahead, his stomach brushing the canopy of trees he was flying so low. Bits of metal from the Flyboys rained down around us, as we flew along behind. Fang managed to catch Gazzy in his arms before he hit the ground, wincing at the strain of pushing up with his wings. He beat hard to a minute, making sure that his wings wouldn't give out, then landed on the forest floor with a gentle 'thud.'

"Let me see him," Iggy said, pushing forward to get to his best friend. He crouched down and quickly ran his long fingers over the boy, determining where he had gotten hurt.

The rest of the Flock were all hovering around the two pyros, offering suggestions and answering Iggy's questions. I did a quick 360, out of habit, and spotted Fang standing by some trees, wincing as he slowly drew his wings in to his back. I frowned worriedly and walked over to him; Fang never winces.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly as I came up beside him. Fang's dark eyes glanced up at me, and his face quickly shed itself of all emotion.

"I'm fine," he said, managing to pull his wings in the rest of the way without a wince. "I'm not the one who got burned." I looked at him, my arms crossed stubbornly. He sighed.

"Fine, my wings are a little sore; it's hard to grab someone out of a hundred foot fall. But I'll be fine. Don't worry so much," he said.

I was about to argue some more when Iggy approached us.

"How is he?" I asked, looking over at Gazzy, who was still sprawled out on the ground, no bandages on his burned body.

Iggy looked down to the ground. "I'm not sure. His wings got scorched pretty badly. I need to soak them in cold water before treating them. And we'll need a safe place to rest; he can't fly in that condition."

I nodded solemnly. "All right." I walked over to the rest of the Flock. "We're headed to a hotel for a day or two," I told them. "Jayden will carry Gazzy there." I opened my wings, preparing for a take-off, when Fang argued.

"I'll carry Gazzy," he said, shooting a glare at Jayden, who was bending over to pick the little boy up.

"Not with your wings like this you won't," I told him, trying to keep my voice down to not worry the others. Having one of the Flock with injured wings was bad enough; they didn't need to know that Fang was hurt, too.

"Then let Iggy carry him."

"He's blind."

"So?" I turned to look at Fang.

"So Jayden will carry Gazzy. End of story. Let's go." I jumped into the air and hovered for a moment, making sure that Jayden would be all right with Gazzy's weight, and that Fang's wings weren't so badly injured that he wouldn't be able to fly.

Everyone made it into the late-afternoon sky without much trouble, although I could tell that Fang's wing beats weren't as regular as they should have been.

"Angel and Nudge can lead the way; when you two see a hotel, holler, okay?" I asked. They chorused 'okay' back, and sped off ahead of us. I let the rest of the Flock get in front of me, so I could make sure no one fell. We seemed to have a habit of doing just that.

I got ready to follow them when I felt someone's gaze on my back. I turned to see Fang, still standing behind me, waiting.

"You can go first," I told him, glancing warily at his wings.

"I could have carried Gazzy," he said, not moving. He looked at the Flock, who were a good twenty feet away now, then back at me.

I rolled my eyes. "If I let you carry Gazzy, you might have fallen. I'm not about to put him in danger if I can help it."

"Then why do you trust Jayden to carry him?" Fang shot back, glaring at me.

I looked away from Fang, breathing in deep, trying to calm down. "He's part of the Flock now, so I trust him. Get used to it."

"I can't get used to it! There's something up with that guy. You just love that fact that he likes you so much, that you are oblivious to it!"

"You're wrong," I said, my jaw tight.

"Fine, don't believe me. I guess you won't be needing me anymore, right? Now that you have the amazing Jayden," he said, spitting out the name as if it were poison. I looked into his eyes, trying to see if he really meant what he said. His eyes were hard with hatred, but when they caught mine, they softened.

"I'm always going to need you, Fang," I whispered back, flying closer and placing my hand around his. I squeezed his hand slightly so he would look down at me, wanting him to know that I meant what I was about to say. "I love you."

Fang shook his head slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. Without a word, he withdrew his hand and took off, following the Flock.

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**AN: I don't know if I should have done that...but I did, so deal. :P Please review!**


	27. Chapter 27

**AN: Hey everyone! I know I haven't been able to post lately, and I'm sorry. I've had WAY too much homework. I finally finished this chapter, though. It's about 2,500 words, and my longest so far has been about 1,000. Also, I just realised that I haven't told you Serena or Jayden's powers yet! I thought I did, but you find out one of their's in this chapter. :P Enjoy! **

**_DISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson._ **

**_CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas and characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

"All right, Angel, we're going to need some serious mind control in here," I whispered, her tiny hand clasped in mine. She nodded, looking through the revolving doors and into the lobby of the Holiday Inn determinedly. Gazzy still lay in Jayden's arms, weaving in and out of consciousness, his burnt wings extended. Iggy had told him to leave them out, not wanting to risk further damage by moving them.

Angel pulled away from me, pushing the doors open as she strode into the lobby. A few people glanced over at her, but soon returned to their conversations. She paused, concentrating on the occupants of the room. After a few seconds, she turned and nodded at me.

"Good job, sweetie," I whispered, slipping into the room beside her. I saw Iggy wince slightly beside me; the voices echoed slightly with the high ceiling, hurting his overly sensitive ears. Nudge, Fang, Serena, and Jayden were all glancing around the room nervously, checking for exits, just as I was. Gazzy was still out cold, and Angel was focusing on the minds of everyone in the room.

"Go sit over there, guys," I said, motioning to the part of the lobby that was stuffed with chairs and sofas. "I'll be right back."

Fang nodded and headed over to the lobby, falling into one of the sofas. The Flock glanced uncertainly at him, then at me, not knowing whom to follow.

"Angel, come with me, the rest of you can wait with Fang," I said, trying not to let my voice waver. Angel nodded, coming to stand by my side, as the rest of the Flock sat down in the chairs. Jayden looked at Fang and sighed, handed Gazzy over to Iggy, and followed me, since Fang obviously wasn't going to.

"What's up with him?" Jayden whispered as we walked up to the counter. I looked away from him, not letting him see how hurt I was from Fang's actions.

"Nothing," I muttered. Fang had left me back in the sky, but when I told the Flock to wait, I had automatically assumed that he would follow. I figured he would get over it and move on pretty quickly, like he normally does.

Jayden looked like he wanted to say more, but I quickened my pace and arrived at the counter before he got the chance to. A middle-aged woman sat behind it, with a shiny gold nameplate that read 'Amanda Barrett.'

I cleared my throat after a minute, trying to ignore Jayden's piercing gaze. The woman looked up, a slightly startled look on her face. She hurriedly minimized something, then turned to face us, lifting her glasses and placing them in her cropped black hair. "Hello, welcome to the Holiday Inn. How may I help you?" she asked, plastering a strained smile on her face.

"We'd like two adjoining rooms, please," I told her, figuring that there were too many of us to fit in one room.

"May I see some ID, please?" she asked, tapping her manicured nails on the desk impatiently.

"We're eighteen," Jayden quickly lied. She looked him over quickly, an amused look on her face.

"Sure you are," she said, stressing the word 'sure.' "So let's see that ID."

Angel stuck her head over the counter, standing on her tiptoes in order to see over it. "You don't need to see any ID," she said in a low voice, staring at the receptionist. The woman's eyes glazed over slightly, then quickly snapped back into focus.

"Right…" she said, looking around, slightly confused. She shook her head and turned to her computer, typing something into it. "You'll have rooms 117 and 119. The keys unlock both doors." She placed two plastic cards on the counter, which I quickly grabbed. "Have a nice stay!" She flashed a fake smile, stood up, and headed into the back room, still looking thoroughly confused.

"We could have paid for the rooms, sweetie," I said, looking down at Angel. She grinned sheepishly back up at me.

"Sorry Max." She walked in front of us, reaching the waiting Flock quickly, with Jayden and me trailing along behind her.

"All right, guys, let's go," I said, approaching the Flock in the lobby and tossing one of the keys into Fang's lap. Jayden bent down to pick up Gazzy, who was lying on the couch, then led the way down the hall.

Angel grabbed my hand when we got into the hall, forcing me to walk slower and fall behind the rest of the group. Fang reached the door first, slipping his card in and opening the door without a glance back at me, leading everyone inside. Jayden locked his eyes with mine for a minute, asking if he should wait for me, and I shook my head. He looked at me uncertainly for a minute, then joined the others in room 117, leaving Angel and me in the hall.

"What's wrong?" I asked, turning to face Angel. She had seemed a little off in the lobby; maybe she was just tired from mind-controlling all of those people.

"We should go into the room, first," she said, ignoring my question and leading me to the unoccupied room. I stuck the key in the slot and opened the door, groping around in the dark before finding the light switch. My eyes scanned the room, noting all of the exits, while Angel hopped up onto on of the stools at the kitchen island.

"Max, I think she suspects something," Angel whispered, her blue eyes wide.

"Who does?" I asked, coming over to join her at the island.

"The lady at the desk, who got us the rooms. When I tried to control her mind, it was like there was a shield up. It was pretty weak, so I was able to get through it, but I've never seen a normal person do that before, only the Flock and whitecoats!" Her voice was high by the time she finished, and her blue eyes were wide and filled with fear. She thought that the lady was going to come and take her back to the School.

"Shh, don't worry about it," I said, trying not to let my worry show in my voice. "It's probably nothing. You were controlling a lot of people in there, so her mind probably just seemed stronger. But I'll go talk to Iggy, and tell him that we're taking watch, even though it's a hotel, just to be on the safe side. Okay?"

"Okay…" Angel replied, obviously noticing that I said 'Iggy' instead of 'Fang.' "Can I go to bed now, Max? I'm really tired," she said letting out a little yawn to prove her point.

"Sure, sweetie," I said. She got up and headed over to one of the queen-sized beds. She crawled under the covers, looking tiny in the large bed.

"'Night, sweetie," I whispered, leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead.

"'Night," she whispered back, already slowly drifting to sleep. I walked back over to the main door and flipped the light switch off, making the room dark once more.

I walked over to the door that joined the two rooms and opened it quietly, letting a small beam of light enter the room, illuminating Angel's petite face. I slipped into the boy's room, closing the door most of the way behind me, so I could hear if anything happened in her room. The minute I got into the room, all eyes were on me.

"What's wrong with Angel?" Jayden asked, looking up from the deck of cards in his hands. He was playing Go Fish with Nudge and Serena; where they got the cards I'll never know. Fang was sitting in the corner chair, purposefully avoiding my gaze, and Iggy was bent over Gazzy's unconscious body. Gazzy's wings were still extended, and Iggy was wrapping white bandages around them.

"Nothing; she was just tired from mind-controlling so many people," I lied. Iggy finished with Gazzy's wings, stood, and walked over to me.

"He's just resting now," Iggy said. "He won't be able to fly for at least two days, though, possibly even longer.

I looked back at Gazzy, then at Iggy, lowering my voice so that the others wouldn't hear.

"Is there any way we can move him sooner than that?"

"No, I don't think so. I don't want to risk damaging his wings so much that he can never fly again. And it's too hard for us to carry him for too long, probably a half-hour for Fang tops, and even less for me. Why?" Iggy asked.

I sighed. "Angel thinks that the receptionist might be with Itex."

"Thinks? If she can read her mind, wouldn't she know?"

I sighed, knowing that her evidence wasn't too great. "She said that there was a weak wall up in the lady's mind, and that normal people don't normally have one."

"Do you think she's right?"

"I don't know. If Gazzy can't leave yet, though, then I guess we can just take watches, even though we're in a hotel."

"Yeah. Besides, Angel was probably wrong. She must have thought there was a wall up, when she was really just tired from controlling a room full of minds. There must have been at least fifty people in there, judging by the racket they were making," he said, shaking his head in disgust. "Just leave the door open so whoever's up can watch both rooms at once. Should we trust Jayden or Serena with a watch yet?"

I looked back at the two newcomers, and decided that I didn't need Fang angry with me for anything else. "Not yet. They need to prove that they're trustworthy first."

"You _still_ don't trust them?"

"I do," I said, looking over at Fang. "But Fang doesn't." Iggy nodded.

"Speaking of the devil…" Iggy muttered, obviously hearing Fang get up and approach Jayden, who had abandoned his card game to stand by Gazzy's bed. They began talking quietly, and their hands quickly formed into fists by their sides.

"I'll go take care of it," I said, sighing. I walked over to where the two boys stood, ready to break it up before they hurt each other.

"What's up?" I asked when I reached them. They both stopped talking mid-sentence and turned to face me.

"I was just explaining my power and asking Fang if I should use it to help Gazzy," Jayden explained. He shot a glare at Fang. "Fang here doesn't think it's safe."

"It isn't! We haven't even seen you use your powers before; what if it injures him even more?" Fang asked, ignoring me and turning back to Jayden.

"I've done it before! Do you honestly still believe that I'm going to hurt Gazzy?"

I cut in before Fang could respond. "What power?"

"I can heal," Jayden replied, looking away from me. I knew there was something he wasn't telling me, but I decided not to pry to find out what it was. All I cared about was getting Gazzy better. The sooner his wings healed, the sooner he can fly.

"Go ahead and do it," I told Jayden. Fang gaped at me, shocked that I had taken Jayden's side. "Will he be able to fly soon?"

"Probably not for another day or two. I can make his pain lessen, but his wings will still be burnt. It's just so he feels more comfortable." I nodded, and Jayden stepped closer to the bed, shaking Gazzy awake.

"Wh-what?" Gazzy asked, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. He rolled his shoulders and tried to shake his wings a little, then yelped out in pain.

"Urgh. I _hate_ having burned wings," he complained.

"That's what we were just talking about. Do you mind if I make the pain lessen a bit? Your wings will still hurt a little, but it'll be more bearable," Jayden explained. I was glad he asked for Gazzy's permission before healing him; I hadn't even thought about it. I'm being such a great leader lately, aren't I?

"Sure!" Gazzy said, obviously very excited about being healed.

"All right…" Jayden said, placing his hands over Gazzy's wings. He closed his eyes and his hands began shaking a little. He opened his eyes again in about three seconds and stepped back from the bed.

"How's that?" he asked, looking down at Gazzy. He quickly sat up and shook his wings, a smile lighting up his face.

"Much better! Thanks so much!" I smiled at Gazzy's enthusiasm, then turned to talk to the girls. As I walked past him, I brushed gently against Jayden's wings, causing him to wince slightly.

"What's wrong?" I asked, looking at him in concern. He looked down at his feet, clearly embarrassed.

"I can't really…heal, exactly. I can only take some of his pain. Or make someone else feel mine," he explained.

"You shouldn't have done that!" I said.

"I only took half the pain. Now he'll get better twice as fast." When I still looked at him worriedly, he sighed. "I'm fine. Don't worry so much." I decided to let it go and walked over to the girls, who were just finishing their game of Go Fish.

"Time for bed, guys. We're getting up really early tomorrow morning!" They looked up at me and groaned, but they packed the cards up anyway.

"What are the sleeping arrangements?" Nudge asked.

"Girls in the other room, boys in here. Angel's already asleep in there," I said, pushing them forward gently. "Don't wake her up!" They both slipped into the other room, closing the door most of the way behind them.

"Same with you guys; off to bed. Fang, do you mind taking first watch? I'm exhausted."

"Sure," Fang said. He grabbed one of the chairs the girls had been sitting in and dragged it to the adjoining door so he could watch both rooms. "I'll wake you for second."

Jayden slipped into the other king bed, and I grabbed Iggy's arm before he could get into the one Gazzy occupied. "Can you check Fang's wings over before you go to bed?" I whispered so only he could hear. "I think he hurt them when he caught Gazzy."

Iggy nodded, and I went to go into the girls' room, knowing that Fang wouldn't let Iggy check him over when I was there. I slipped past Fang and opened the adjoining door, when I heard a knock on the boys' door.

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**AN: All right, you guys owe me for such a long chapter. :P Review!**


	28. Chapter 28

**AN: Here's another one; two in one night:P I'm really sorry I haven't written often, but I'm trying! This ones not nearly as long (only about 1,000 words) and isn't very good, but it's late. :( Sorry. Anyways, please enjoy, and REVIEW:P**

**_DISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson._ **

**_CLAIMER: Any new plot ideas and characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._**

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**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

"Room service!" someone called from outside of the room. I looked over at Fang, silently asking him if anyone had ordered room service, since I had not. He shook his head.

"Great; I'm starved. Thanks, Max," Jayden said, obviously assuming that I had ordered it. I was shocked at how oblivious he was; how could he not notice the worry in my eyes? Iggy could even tell, just from the tension in the room!

Jayden walked over to the door, undid the lock, and, before any of us could stop him, swung it open.

Jayden stepped back, allowing us to see out of the room. The receptionist stood there, just as I had suspected. Was Angel right about this lady?

"Hello, Maximum Ride," she said, a fake smile on her face. "I've heard a lot about you." Yepp, Angel was right.

"Who are you?" I spat out, glaring at the woman. I walked over to the door, Fang right behind me. I was relieved when I heard Fang follow; it was still awkward between us, but at least I knew that he'd pull through for me when needed.

"Amanda Barrett," she replied. She let out a small laugh when she saw that I was in fighting stance. "Don't worry, Maximum. I'm not your enemy. In fact, I could very well be your ally."

"What do you mean?" I asked, eyeing her warily.

"I mean, I'm not with Itex," she replied. "Although I do have some of their…workers on my side." Flyboys suddenly swarmed out of the surrounding rooms, filling the hall around her.

"U and A, now! Out the window!" I yelled, knowing the girls would hear me in the other room. We probably could take the Flyboys, but I didn't want to risk it when there could be hundreds more hiding in other rooms, or with Gazzy in his current position. I slammed the door shut in the woman's face, but she stuck her foot out just in time, stopping it from closing all the way.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Barrett called out, pushing the door open. She stepped into the room to let me see past her, and I saw Nudge and Angel, both struggling in the arms' of Flyboys.

"Let them go," I growled, glaring at the woman.

"Oh, I will," she replied. "Right after I get Serena."

"No!" Iggy yelled, stepping up beside me.

"Oh, we're very protective, aren't we?" Barrett said, the annoying smile back on her face. "I never thought I'd see the day when on of the Flock would betray their _family_ for a girl."

Iggy glared at her, his fists clenching. We were all straining not to hurt the woman, knowing that if we did, the Flyboys would kill the girls in a second. They had their metal hands around the girls' necks, ready to choke them in a moment's notice.

"She was in the other room," Fang supplied, making Iggy glare at him. "If you didn't see her while you where getting Angel and Nudge, then I guess she ran. You know just as much as we do."

"Fine; I guess I'll just have to have the Flyboys kill the girls, so we won't have to drag them along while we search for her," Barrett said, her voice rising slightly. I was about to jump into the hall and fight, despite the fact that I would probably lose, when Serena spoke up.

"No! I'll go with you," she said, stepping out of the dark girls' room and walking over to me. She must have heard Barrett's threat. "I hid in the bathroom when I heard them coming," she explained, looking back at Iggy. He was glaring at her, angry that she had surrendered herself.

"Nobody is going with them," I told Serena sternly. I turned back to Barrett. "Let them go!"

"The second Serena crosses the threshold, I swear I will," she promised. Serena went to enter the hall, but Iggy ran over, grabbing her wrists and pulling her against him.

"No," he said, looking straight into Serena's eyes with his sightless ones. She looked up at him, realizing that he wasn't about to change his mind, and let herself lean against him, defeated. Guess she wasn't a very strong girl, huh?

"Fine then. I guess we'll just have to do this the hard way, then," Barrett said. Fang and I both assumed fighting positions, Jayden following suit when he saw us. Barrett just laughed.

"Please; I don't want a lawsuit on my hands. This is much easier, and much less noticeable." She pulled a tiny bomb from her jacket pocket, being careful not to set it off too early. The Flyboys shoved Angel and Nudge into the room, and they fell onto the ground with a loud 'thump.' Barrett threw the now ticking bomb in after them and slammed the door shut.

All of our eyes locked on the bomb as we stood in shock for a moment, anticipating the explosion. I quickly shook off the shock, and was about to tell the Flock to move their butts and get out of the room, when my vision began to blur. My head felt light, and my hearing slowed and grew louder, to the point where every second between the bomb's ticks sounded like a minute, and my breathing was over-pronounced. My legs grew weak under me, and I slowly sank to the ground, out cold once again.

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**AN: You like? I hope so. :P By the way, the fainting part at the end is actually kind of acurate. I've passed out about ten times in my like (luckily I've always been in chairs,) and this is how mine feel. I've never actually blacked out completely, but it is still technically a faint. A nurse confirmed that once when I passed out while she took the stiches out of my mom's leg. :P**

**Again, please REVIEW! Oh, and thanks a MILLION to Kyo-Fang, who has sent in a million reviews. I would reply and thank them, but I can't, since they didn't sign in! Urgh. :( LOL, thanks to Kyo, and everyone else who helped me reach over TWO-HUNDRED REVIEWS:P YAY!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Author's Note**

I know, I know, the dreaded author's note. But it's very important that you read this, because it explains a lot.

I have realized why I don't want to write this lately. It's because I _hate_ this story. I re-read it recently, and the writing is _terrible_. I'm not giving up on it, though, but I refuse to write more for a story so childishly written. I'm planning on going back through every chapter and editing them to make them longer and better. I'm nearly done editing the first chapter. It's nearly twice as long as it was originally, and about a million times better (in my opinion.)

Now, poll time. I need to know; will you actually read this when I edit the chapters? Please review/PM me to let me know. I won't post a new chapter until I'm done editing this entire story, and it would help to get some reviews to encourage me along the way.

By the way, I've written some song-fics. Please check them out; if you go to my page you can get the links to them.

I'm sorry about all of this, guys, but I don't think I can write anymore until I'm actually proud of my writing. Also, please don't kill me over this author's note; it's the first and (most likely) last I will post.

Please review and let me know if you're even interested in reading the edited chapters! Thanks you!

-JFW1415


	30. Chapter 30

**Author's Note Two**

I know I said there wouldn't be anymore author's notes, but I lied. Sorry! I have an important announcement, though.

I've decided to post the revised version of this on another story. It will be called Maximum Ride: A New Voice, just so it has a slightly different title. I highly suggest that you read it, at least the first two chapters, since they are very different and MUCH better. (And there's no cliché 'we have to share a bed' thing!)

I figured this way, everyone would be happy. Those who wanted to re-read it can, and those who don't won't. I'm planning on making it rather different, though, so you might want to check it out. (Same plot, different sub-plots.)

I'm still desperate for reviews, though! Please check it out and review. Also, don't give up on me. I will update, but I don't want to add more to a story that isn't good. The two new chapters I have are almost my best work. (I probably could make them slightly better, but that would take a LOT longer.)

I MAY end up not posting on this, and just adding on to that one, but I'm not sure yet. Only time will tell; I'll keep you posted.

Oh: I also added a poll to my home page for anyone who's interested.

Again, sorry, please check out my revised story, and review!

-JFW1415


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